


The Regular

by naomin



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prostitution, Kink Negotiation, Light Masochism, M/M, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Porn With Plot, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-03-21 11:40:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 55,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3690912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naomin/pseuds/naomin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi's newest customer comes with a few surprises.  </p><p>(Pre-canon/non-ACWNR AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: All the sex in this fic will be consensual (well, within the context of one person being a prostitute and kind of ambivalent about that, I guess, so perhaps YMMV), but down the road there may be brief references to situations in which that is not the case. I didn't think it was major enough to warrant an official tag, but just be aware of that if that's something that you'd absolutely like to avoid. If things end up deviating quite a bit from what I have in mind at the moment, I'll make the tags/warnings more explicit accordingly. 
> 
> Chapters to come will also include occasional very vague references to Levi's past as hinted at by the last several manga chapters. If you aren't up to date with the manga you probably won't get major spoilers, but you might be a little confused. 
> 
> That aside, please enjoy!<3

 

           It all starts just when things are supposed to be winding down, at an unreasonably late hour on a slow night. Levi’s second man of the night has pulled his trousers back on and been seen on his way, and Levi’s back in his room, tugging the dirty sheets off the bed and thoroughly ready to call it a night, when there’s a knock at the door.

            The owner of Levi’s current place of work is a woman of indeterminate middle-age named Gunda, who had probably been something of a beauty before years of hard living in the bad side of the capitol had taken their toll. Now, in the year and a half or so that Levi’s been in business with her, she’s always looked exhausted almost to the point of collapsing. But she’s fair enough, and she keeps to herself, both qualities for which Levi is greatly appreciative. Which makes it all the more of an unpleasant surprise that she’s here now, since he can already guess that it means that his night isn’t done after all.

            “There’s one more for you downstairs,” Gunda says, unfortunately predictable.

            “No, there isn’t,” Levi retorts, even though his hopes of a somewhat early finish and a few extra hours of sleep are already starting to fade. “I’m done for the night. Find someone else.”

            “He asked for you,” Gunda continues unwaveringly. “Specifically.”

            “For me?” That’s a little odd. Levi doesn’t have many regular customers, and of the few he does have, one hasn’t shown up in months, one has already stopped in earlier in the evening, and the others have never come around this late before. “Who is it?”

            “New fellow.” Gunda says. “Haven’t seen him before, but he just walked in and said that he wants you.” She starts to turn away, shuffling back towards the stairs down to the lobby. “You can have ten minutes to get ready, then I’ll send him up.”

            “ _Wait_ ,” Levi protests. “Give him to one of the others. Or tell him he’s out of luck, I don't give a shit. I’m _done_. I‘ve been working all night.”

            “You had two guests, and the last one wasn’t even twenty minutes. You probably didn't even have to take your clothes off for him, you can handle one more.”

            “Yeah, okay, that guy was finished practically as soon as he could get his dick out, but the merchant with the lazy eye went for fucking _ever_ , and then he wanted to-“

            Gunda’s worn-out face slowly creases into a grimace. “Don't need the details.”

            "So, I’m _done_ for the night,” Levi persists.

            “He looks like he’s got money.”

            There’s something to consider, at least. “A lot?”

            “More than most of the trash that comes through here, that’s for sure,” Gunda snorts.

            Levi does a series of mental calculations, weighing potential benefits of a rich customer and a pleased Gunda against the satisfaction of fucking it all and going to bed. “He’s not some kind of weirdo, is he?” he asks.

            “I’ll send him up.” Gunda knows the beginnings of a forfeit when she hears it.

            “You didn’t answer the question!” Levi calls as she walks away.

            “Keep your voice down!” she scolds over her shoulder, and adds: “Five minutes.”

            “ _Five_ -?” But Gunda is long gone now, down the stairs to the lobby, where a few particularly patient or particularly desperate men still wait, mingling with the whores less impatient to wrap up for the night than Levi is. Levi’s mystery man among them, apparently. _Sina’s tits and Rose’s cunt_.

            Levi slams his door shut and takes stock of the conditions in his room. The sheets go back on the bed – if the customer notices that they haven’t been cleaned, he can take it up with Gunda, or make a fucking _appointment_ next time. Unlike some of the places Levi’s worked, his current circumstances include a small bathroom, blessedly convenient and private, off of the bedroom, and Levi has time to get himself into a more or less acceptable state of cleanliness before there’s another knock at the door.

            The knock is unmistakably different from Gunda’s, a businesslike rat-tat-tat of knuckles against wood from somebody who sounds like he’s used to being minded. Levi takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly, willing his bad mood away. Whatever this customer has in mind surely won’t take _that_ long – Levi used to pride himself on his ability to satisfy customers quickly, back when he had been younger and more excited by the work – and if what he’s been promised is true, there could be a tidy bit of cash in it for him after it’s all done. Business, not to mention business aimed specifically at Levi, has been slowing down for the past few months. As annoying as it is to have extra work piled on at the last minute, this could turn out to be a very good thing after all. And he’s a little curious to learn what this man’s story is, anyway.

            The man outside the door is starting to shift on his feet, but his face brightens affably when he sees Levi. He’s tall, young – not a lot older than Levi, probably – and startlingly handsome, with golden hair, high cheekbones, and clear blue eyes. Levi blinks, caught by surprise. He’s been in the business long enough to know that any kind of man might show up on the right evening, but this still isn’t quite what he had expected.

            “Hello,” he says, a fraction less coolly than he would have liked.

            For a moment, the man at the door looks as though he’s about to extend his hand for Levi to shake, bizarrely, but he seems to remember where he is and who Levi is at the last second. In the end, he just smiles some more. “Levi?”

            “That’s me.” Levi’s recovered himself now, focused once again on the job ahead, which now looks as if it might be a little more agreeable than previously expected. He opens the door wider, inviting. “Come inside?” 

            His room isn’t anything particularly remarkable, but his customer takes everything in – the hastily remade bed, the cabinets where lubricant and other necessary items can be stored tastefully out of sight – with a curiosity that doesn’t escape Levi. He already knows this man is new here – Levi would have been told if this was just a case of a bored regular wanting to try something new for the night, not to mention that he’d definitely remember it if he had seen someone like this around before – but now Levi’s wondering if this isn’t his first time in any brothel, period. Another surprise.

            When the man doesn't make the first move, Levi steps behind him and helpfully eases his coat off his shoulders, as smoothly as their substantial height difference allows. It’s more of a courtesy than he extends to most, but there’s no harm in going the extra mile for a new customer, especially since one thing that Levi’s been told is definitely right – this man has more money than either of the other customers Levi’s seen tonight. His clothing is plain, almost self-consciously so, but there’s no hiding the good quality of the fabric, and the attention with which it’s been tailored.

            A good-looking, rich man by himself in a brothel in one of the more dubious parts of the city, in the middle of the night. Levi is officially intrigued now, enough that the sudden imposition doesn’t seem so bad after all.

            “Haven’t seen you here before,” he comments as he sets the coat aside, surreptitiously feeling for a weapon (no) or a wallet (yes) out of old habit as he does. Levi doesn’t normally have much patience for this part, stale conversation before the main event, but tonight he’s genuinely curious to find out what this man has to say for himself.

            “I got, ah, a recommendation.” The man’s all composure and bland friendliness, even now. Perhaps he’s some kind of politician.

            Levi raises his eyebrows. “A recommendation for me.”

            He’d meant it as a challenge – Levi’s not sure if he has any customers who are so enamored with him, let alone any who are likely to be friends with someone like this – but the man doesn’t hesitate at all. “That’s right.” He’s taken a seat on the edge of the bed now, eyes on Levi.

            _Fair enough._ Levi can try to tease out how exactly this man heard about him later, if he still cares. Now he strides over until he’s standing almost between the blond’s legs, looking down at him.   The next move is for the customer to decide: Pull Levi onto his lap? Onto the bed? But he doesn’t react right away, though Levi can see him tense, blue eyes dilating. 

            When he still hasn’t moved a second later, Levi takes the initiative, smoothing one hand over the man’s shoulder and privately marveling at the unexpected strength he can feel in his back and arm. Whatever this man does for a living, he keeps himself in good shape. Levi can appreciate that.

           He lets his hand trail down, over a chest and abdomen equally hard with muscle, as he slowly drops to his knees. It’s as good a place to start as any, when the customer doesn’t have anything special in mind. The man doesn’t speak, but when he realizes what Levi’s doing he makes a wordless, pleased sound in the back of his throat, and one of his own big hands comes down to rest heavily where Levi’s neck meets his shoulder.

           “What did they say about me?” Levi asks, more out of an urge to break the silence than real curiosity, as he starts tugging at the thick leather belt that’s now only slightly below eye level.

           “Hmm."  The man’s looking down at Levi with the same satisfied expression that he’s seen from this position a thousand times before. Levi can feel his pulse beating against the man’s thumb at his throat. “That you’re little, and cute, and good at what you do.”

           “Huh.” Levi’s a little disappointed. It’s boringly generic praise, and he’s almost certain that this man is just pulling it out of his ass in the moment, not actually repeating anything he’s been told. Plenty of men who have passed through Levi’s room enjoy his size, to be sure – “cute” is a little more unlikely, though not impossible – but if this one had really asked around about Levi, he’d have heard a few more colorful things.

_The little bastard’s got a mouth on him, but he knows how to use it good._

_Likes to act like he’s somebody just because he used to know some of the right guys underground when he was a kid._

_Thinks he can be picky, like he won’t be too old and too worn-out for_ anybody _to want before long…_

           Levi makes quick work of the belt and draws the man’s cock skillfully out of his trousers and underclothes. It’s just as nice as the rest of his body, flushed and well-sized with a bit of a curve, rising out of a little more golden hair.

           “Oh,” Levi says, pitching his voice into a low purr. “I _am_ glad you heard about me, Mr. …?” It’s occurred to him that he still doesn’t have a name yet. It’s slightly annoying, especially considering that the man knows at least something about him.

           “Smith.” It comes out in a choked gasp, thanks to the hand Levi wraps around the base of the man’s cock at the same moment.

           “Mr. Smith,” Levi repeats, testing the name out. It might be a lie – which wouldn’t bother Levi at all, lots of men use fake names here – but if it is, it’s a rather unoriginal one.

           Smith nods shakily, body tensing as Levi gives him an easy stroke.

           “Okay,” Levi says. “And…” – another stroke – “…what part of what I do interests you tonight, Mr. Smith?”

           “Oh.” Smith swallows, looking both uncertain and stupidly aroused. “I…”

           “Did you talk to the woman downstairs when you came in?” Levi prompts after a moment. This isn’t just foreplay – it’s good to learn what kinds of things a customer is hoping for in advance, to get an idea of how things will play out and avoid any nasty surprises. He lets the hand on Smith’s cock go still, the better to encourage him to actually pay attention to what he’s being asked.

           “Yes. I told her, uh, half an hour” Smith starts to frown a little once he realizes that he’s not getting jerked off anymore, until Levi rewards him by going back to work. Smith gets a good look on his face when he’s being pleasured, and Levi doesn’t mind keeping him happy while he gathers his thoughts. Half an hour. That’s not a lot of time – meaning not a lot of money for Levi, unfortunately – but it’s about right for letting a first-time customer get a taste, and it’s late enough now that Levi would have had a hard time staying enthusiastic about the job for much longer than that anyway.

           “All right.” Levi says once he’s got a plan in mind. “That’s enough time for me to suck your big cock for a bit…” He teases the tiny slit at the head of Smith’s now fully hard length with his thumbnail, and is rewarded with a sharp intake of breath as the powerful thighs on either side of him twitch sharply. “…And you can finish in my ass, if you want. We’ll have to be quick, but you won’t be disappointed. Sound good?”

           “ _Yes_ ,” Smith breathes, fingers digging into Levi’s shoulder.

           “Good,” Levi says, and gets to business.

 

-

 

           Some minutes later – ten, perhaps, if Levi had to guess, but all he knows for sure is that the knock on the door signaling that a customer’s gone over his time has yet to come – things aren’t going quite as smoothly as Levi had hoped. Smith had seemed to enjoy himself well enough with Levi’s mouth on his cock, and had nodded when Levi had paused long enough to ask if he was ready to move on, but now, even as Levi’s on his back on the bed and reaching down to prepare himself with a practiced amount of showmanship, the sense that he’s having to walk Smith through every step of the process is intensifying, and it’s starting to grate on his nerves.

            He adds a third finger to the two already pushed inside himself and lets his legs fall a little further open. In all honesty, he doesn’t really need the extra finger, but he’s stalling, waiting for the customer to do _something_. Smith’s been watching him from where he’s perched on the edge of the bed for some time now, and while there’s desire in his eyes, he hasn’t even tried to touch Levi since they got on the bed.

            One good thing that can be said is that they’re both fully naked by now, at least. Smith’s built just as well as Levi had suspected, tall frame bound with just the right amount of muscle. Levi finds himself wondering again who this man is, what kind of life he leads and what’s brought him to a middling whorehouse in a neighborhood he’s almost surely not accustomed to at such a late hour. He still likes the idea that Smith is connected to the government somehow, or at least to one of the more socially influential rich families – there’s a certain air of class about him, and it’s not unheard of for a bored aristocrat to hit the slums in a misguided search for adventure – but Levi isn’t sure how many of the king’s lackeys have such a toned stomach or tight ass.

            Nice manners, good looks, big cock – Smith could be a very good whore, in fact. Levi can’t help but snort at that. Smith raises his eyes to Levi’s face, startled.

            “Nothing,” Levi says quickly. _Concentrate_ , he scolds himself, and sits up, keeping his legs splayed lewdly apart and going back to a more alluring tone of voice. “Are you ready?”   

            “Yes,” Smith answers, though he still doesn't look entirely sure. He shifts down the bed a little bit closer to Levi, and places a hand somewhat gingerly on Levi’s shin.

            Levi could sigh, but he manages to hold himself back this time. “How do you want it?” he cajoles. “On my back? Or should I get on my knees for you? Let you pound into me on all fours…?” Smith had responded enthusiastically to dirty talk earlier, and Levi hopes that a bit more will be enough to get him fired up now.

            “On your back is fine,” Smith answers, somewhat hastily. As mysterious as he is in some ways, one thing that Levi is almost certain of by now is that this is his first time buying sex.  

            “Okay,” Levi says, just barely keeping impatience out of his voice. “Whenever you’re ready, Mr. Smith.” He briefly wonders if Smith would enjoy this more if Levi addressed him differently, “Sir”, or “Master”, or any of the other things that the odd customer of his has enjoyed, before deciding that if that’s indeed the case, Smith can very well speak up for himself.

            Smith draws even closer to Levi, drawing his legs up until he’s fully on the bed. Levi’s got his own legs pulled invitingly up to his chest. A little overkill, perhaps, but anything to remind Smith of what he’s here to do. It’s crossed Levi’s mind by now that perhaps this is his customer’s first time with a _man_ , paid or no, a particularly disheartening thought. He’s been the first for a few men – repressed, or simply curious – before, and it’s almost invariably awkward for the customer and aggravatingly boring for Levi. But no, Smith had seemed comfortable enough earlier that surely, Levi convinces himself, that can’t be it. Smith’s some straight-laced noble without enough imagination to even come up with a good alias. It’s regrettable but perhaps to be expected that he’s not particularly exciting when it comes to fucking.

            “You’re ready?” Smith asks.

            Levi can’t come up with a way to put _don’t complain to me if you run out of time before you can fucking put it in, at this rate_ seductively, so he just nods.

            Smith enters him a little more suddenly than Levi expects, catching him so off-guard that he almost forgets to moan as if he’s impressed by the size of his cock even after all the foreplay. Smith rocks his hips steadily forward, gripping Levi’s bent legs. He’s not especially forceful, particularly compared to some of Levi’s rougher customers, but his earlier hesitation is nowhere to be seen. There’s no doubt that he knows what to do, to Levi’s relief.

            “ _Mmm_ ,” Levi encourages, as the bed squeaks and Smith breathes raggedly above him. “ _That’s_ it, Mister, _that_ feels good. Wanna give me a little more?” He tilts his hips forward as much as he can – his current position is rather limiting, especially with a much larger partner on top of him – and Smith rises to the occasion nicely, giving a bit more force to his thrusts and adjusting his grip on Levi. As he does, Levi notices that his palms feel unexpectedly rough and calloused, more like the hands of some fighter on the street than those of a noble. Like Levi’s hands, or maybe the way his hands used to be back when he spent a little more time on the street and a little less time in beds like this.

            When Levi glances up briefly, Smith’s eyes are almost closed, brow furrowed in concentration as he drives his hips dutifully forward and back.   

            “You like that?” Levi asks.

            Smith says nothing, just pushes Levi a little further into the bed and keeps going. Levi waits a few more seconds for a reply - or even just some kind of acknowledgement, really - before deciding that he’s not likely to get anything, so he decides to shut up as well. Not everybody likes a chatty whore, and if Smith feels like he’s getting his money’s worth like this, so be it.

            As unoriginal a fuck as Smith is, he also turns out to be a surprisingly persistent one. Once they settle into a rhythm (or, Smith does, and Levi keeps up) things go on that way until Levi expects a knock on the door at any minute. He can’t tell how close to finishing Smith is – there’s something annoyingly unreadable about the man, at least as far as their current activities are concerned – but after several more seconds of interminable thrusting go by, he figures that a word of warning might not be uncalled for.

            “You said h-half an hour?” Levi stumbles over the words a little when the next thrust goes particularly deep.

            Smith pauses, slumping forward and catching himself with one arm before he goes straight on top of Levi. He’s gotten sweaty, and his chest, now not too far from Levi’s face, is heaving. “What?” he huffs, the first thing he’s said to Levi since entering him.

            “Your time.” Levi reminds him, inwardly thankful for both the respite and the fact he has Smith’s attention once more. “It’s up to you if you want to go over, but they’ll make you pay a shit-ton downstairs…”

           He doesn't really know why he feels the need to explain things this much, especially since any extra money that gets bled out of Smith will trickle down to Levi as well, if in rather smaller portions than he’d like. It can be his good deed for the day, helping a good-looking but clueless noble learn the way things are done in this part of the city before he finds out the hard way.

            “Oh.” Smith’s brow furrows. He moves the one hand that’s still touching Levi up to smooth back his hair, messy from sex. Levi takes the opportunity to unfold himself as much as he can with Smith still on top of him. His legs had gotten treacherously close to cramping up from holding the unnatural position for so long, and even with the chance to stretch now, Levi’s pretty sure that his knees will ache tomorrow morning. It wouldn’t have been a problem even a few years earlier. _Fuck_ , Levi thinks. _I’m not really that old, am I?_

            It’s not a train of thought that Levi wants to linger on, especially not while he still has a semi-stranger’s cock up his ass, so he redirects his attention hurriedly back to the task at hand. “Is there, uh, anything else I can do?” he inquires helpfully. “If there’s something in particular that you need… It’s all confidential here, you know that, right?” He’s pretty sure that he’s got Smith correctly pegged as being about as kinky as a slice of bread, but he hasn’t forgotten how much encouragement the man had needed a while ago. He wouldn't be the first of Levi’s customers to hold back at first, only to nervously confess fantasies involving being spanked or women’s underwear or something similarly colorful well after things were underway.

            “Oh, no,” Smith replies quickly, somewhat to Levi’s disappointment. “You – You’re fine like this. Just right.”

            More insipidly bland praise, but Levi supposes that he can appreciate the effort.

             “Just stay like this a little longer,” Smith continues, and then adds, a little uncertainly: “Is that alright? Do you need a break?”

            “ ‘S fine,” Levi answers quickly, before Smith has the chance to get off-track. He rolls his hips encouragingly, feeling Smith stiffen above him. “Go on.”

            Smith looks at him for an oddly uncomfortable second, blue eyes unreadable. Then he pushes himself up, and starts to move again.

            Somehow they still haven’t run out of time, and Smith is as good as his word. It’s only another minute or two before the grip that he’s taken up once more on one of Levi’s legs tightens, his next thrust goes deep and long, and he lets out a choked groan, folding over on top of Levi again.

            Levi catches his breath, back and shoulders itching from so much time pushed against the cheap, coarse sheets, and waits until Smith rolls clumsily off of him. After a few more moments, when it’s clear that the man doesn’t want anything else from him for the time being, he carefully gets out of bed and heads for the bathroom.

            When he returns after a quick minute of freshening up – he’ll wash for real after the customer is gone, and he can’t wait for it – Smith is already starting to get dressed, quietly doing up the buttons of his shirt. He looks up when Levi, still naked, steps out of the bathroom, only to let his gaze drop awkwardly without a word after a few seconds go by. Levi’s not offended. He doesn't have any complaints about the way things have turned out, but Smith has looked a little uneasy for most of the process, and the sex doesn’t seem to have helped. Levi can picture him slinking back to his own neighborhood in the dark in a few minutes’ time, ashamed and maybe a little regretful, entering his home as silently as possible to avoid facing questions about his late-night excursion from his servants or his wife. 

            Smith, now fumbling for his belt, works up the courage to get Levi’s attention and clears his throat. “Ah. Excuse me,” he manages when Levi raises his eyebrows questioningly. “About the money. I paid some downstairs, but if you wanted…” He lets the suggestion trail off, and combs his hair back distractedly with his fingers before busying himself with his belt again.

            Levi’s rather impressed that Smith has enough sense to understand that hardly enough of the official price for Levi’s services is actually going to wind up in Levi’s hands. He’s ready to reply with some demure bullshit – _you’ve shown me such a good time already, but if you really insist, how generous of you, Mr. Smith_ – when something snaps into place inside his mind, as sudden and shocking as a bolt of lightning.

           Outside of the brothel and the scummy neighborhood surrounding it, Levi isn’t ashamed to admit that he pays little attention to what goes on in the rest of the world as long as the walls are still securely in place. But something - maybe the angle his customer is standing at, or the way the light from the lantern falls on his face - is suddenly making him think of a newspaper article that he had glanced at over somebody’s shoulder possibly as long as a year ago. He can’t remember exactly what the article had been about – some boring announcement of changes within the military - but he finds that he can still remember the small illustration that had accompanied it.

 _What a waste,_ the woman holding the paper had said, shaking her head in disappointment. _Such a handsome face, and they send him off to get himself killed with the rest of those fools in the Survey Corps._

           Levi knows how to hold his tongue, despite what a few of his more disgruntled former customers might say, but the words come out before he can stop himself.   “Shit,” he says. “You’re _Erwin_ Smith.”

           The man doesn't flinch, but his fingers slow at the buckle of his belt, and when he does finally look up at Levi a few slow seconds later, there’s a hint of uncertainty on his face that has nothing to do with his earlier awkwardness.

           “You didn’t even use a fake name,” Levi says incredulously. “Why didn’t you use a fake name?” He knows he’s guessed correctly, but he still can’t really believe it. This is _way_ beyond what he had anticipated back when Gunda had first warned him of Smith’s sudden arrival.

           Smith. _Commander_ Erwin Smith. _Fucking hell._

           The commander opens his mouth to say something – looking a little annoyed, maybe – but any words are cut off when the knock at the door that means that he’s gone over his time with Levi finally comes.

           “Sir? It’s been thirty minutes, but-“

           “He’s done!” Levi yells, snappy with nerves. “He’s getting dressed, he’ll be out in a minute, go away!” The knock had made them both start, and his mind is still racing to make sense of the situation. _What’s someone like that doing_ here _?_ At the very least, Levi would have imagined that a soldier of Erwin Smith’s status should be able to afford an exponentially nicer brothel.

           Silence outside, and then the sound of feet shuffling away from the door. “Thank you,” he hears Erwin say.

           Levi paces over to where his own clothing has been discarded, and starts to pull on his pants. He still hasn't decided what he’s going to say next – or if it’s wise to say anything, really – but whatever conversation is about to take place, the idea of having it naked is absolutely too much.

           “Not really your part of town, is it, Commander?” he comments at last, when Erwin still hasn’t said anything.

           “Not ‘Commander’ here,” Erwin replies. There’s definitely something just slightly different about his demeanor now, as if all of the responsibilities and burdens of his work have come back down on his shoulders with Levi’s realization.

           Levi shifts on his feet. He’s still not sure if he’s completely comfortable with the turn things have taken. An anonymous, low-ranking noble looking for a night of excitement would have been well enough, but one of the most preeminent men in the military is another matter entirely. He doesn't know how big a deal Erwin showing up in a place like this would be, but if anybody else realizes who he is, and word spreads around, it could easily become a mess of the kind that Levi’s very happy to stay out of. And even if the more damning things they say about Erwin – _heartless, doesn’t care how many young ones get eaten as long as it suits his own plans_ – aren’t true, the man’s still in a position where he could ruin Levi’s life with no effort at all if things go sour between them.

           “Is there a problem?” Erwin asks him, one strong brow raised.

           “Not at all, Mr. Smith,” Levi says, relieved when his words come out smoothly and Erwin continues getting ready to leave.

           He pulls on his coat, and Levi’s moving to open the door for him, more than a little eager for this job to be over, when he sees that Erwin’s pulling out his wallet. Levi watches somewhat apprehensively – he doesn’t even care about money anymore, he just wants this man gone before there can be any other surprises – and almost chokes when he realizes that Erwin’s pulling out an amount of money that’s nearly twice as much as what he would have already paid on arrival.

           “Um,” Levi sputters as Erwin tries to hand him the money. “That’s not – you don’t have to do that.”

           “Take it,” Erwin says. “You earned it.”

           Levi grinds his teeth, torn. It’s an incredible amount of money, all for him. In the back of his mind he’s already imagining the things he could buy with it - better materials for cleaning himself and his room, new clothes, a meal at a good restaurant, a visit with a good doctor the next time one of his customers leaves him with some kind of disease – but the whole thing is just too bizarre, and if Erwin’s going to be here at all, Levi would feel better if he at least _acted_ just like any of the other shabby men waiting downstairs. “It’s too much,” he says.

           “For your company tonight,” Erwin insists. “And your, ah, understanding.”

           Levi’s a little offended at the suggestion in the last part, and it gives him the confidence to keep arguing. “I told you before, _confidential_ ,” he tells Erwin. “I don’t give a shit about who anybody is once they’re out of here.” It’s the truth. A few of the others get a kick out of particularly well-known or scandalous customers – the popular actor, the priest who preaches chastity but likes to come in and buy a boy and a girl at the same time – but Levi’s long past taking an interest in things like that.

           In the end, some of the money goes back into Erwin’s wallet, but the amount that he presses into Levi’s hands is still much larger than what Levi’s already gotten from either of his earlier customers.

           “Good night,” he remembers to say as Erwin starts to go. He still feels a little shell-shocked by the entire interaction, though the money in his pocket and the fact that Erwin doesn’t seem to be holding any of the night’s awkwardness against him are doing something to put him increasingly back at ease.

           “Good night,” Erwin replies.

           There’s another strange moment rather like the one back in the doorway when Levi had thought that Erwin was about to try to shake his hand, a sense that the man is searching for what it is that he’s supposed to be doing next. “I’ll come for you again,” he adds at last.

 _No, you won’t_ , Levi scoffs internally. _You didn't even enjoy it that much, and if you have_ any _sense you’ll go somewhere else next time, somewhere where they don't know who you are or they see men like you often enough that they don't care._ But before he can even begin to put that thought into words, the door is closed and Erwin’s heavy, steady footsteps are fading out into the hall and down the stairs.

           It’s only when Levi’s back in bed a while later, drifting off to sleep with his body clean, sheets changed, and money tucked safely away, that it occurs to him that he still doesn’t know how Erwin Smith - of all people - knew him by name.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always when I have to come up with an original character for something, fingers crossed that there's no existing character named "Gunda" associated with SnK in either canon or other fanworks. (Same goes for the one or two other named OCs that will show up eventually.) 
> 
> Plot (eventually) and less-awkward sex to come! I am also on [tumblr](http://the-naomin.tumblr.com/).


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind comments on the first chapter, and for your patience in waiting so long for this! Hope you enjoy.<3

         

            An upside of Levi’s profession is that there’s hardly ever any need to work mornings, and so it’s almost noon by the time he wakes up. The night’s events float back into his mind little by little, and it’s not until he’s dressed and heading down to look for some food that he’s awake enough to fully remember that the visit from Erwin Smith is something that had actually happened and not just an outlandish dream.  

           Downstairs is innocently bright and calm in the light of day. There’s no sign of last night’s customers, and most of Levi’s co-workers are either still in bed or out somewhere. The few that are hanging around in the kitchen greet Levi with a nod when he walks in, but don’t extend themselves much further. With so much forced sociability required for their work, it’s normal for everyone to keep to themselves a bit when they have the chance, and people come and go quickly enough here that close friendships are hard to form, at least for Levi. More than half of the men and women who were working when Levi started up with Gunda have moved on by now.

           Levi manages to retrieve some decently fresh bread from the kitchen, and makes his way back towards the stairs. There’s a new scuffmark on the floor, most likely the work of one of last night’s men, along with a scattering of carelessly discarded ashes. _Fucking typical_. Levi’s trying to rub the mark away with his bare foot, biting into his bread ferociously and mentally cursing customers who have no manners, who mess up the place where other people have to live after they’ve had their fun and gone home, who don’t know the right way to act at all.

           “How was he?” For such a thoroughly unimpressive-looking woman, Gunda can be fucking _sneaky._

           “Who?” Levi asks, stalling not just to feign nonchalance, but to give himself a chance to recover from almost inhaling his mouthful of bread.

           “Your new fellow.”  

           “Oh.” For a second, Levi considers making up some complaint about Erwin, just in case there’s a chance that the man could be foolish enough to try a second visit. Gunda can usually be counted on to keep the desires and safety of her workers in mind, and Levi’s pretty sure that if he told her that Erwin had tried to hurt him, or even that he had just been particularly unpleasant to deal with, it’s unlikely that he would be welcomed again, money or no. It would be a quick way of making certain that Levi doesn’t have to even think about the commander and his unsettlingly reckless choice of pastimes for longer than it will take him to forget the previous night.

           But Gunda might be surprised to hear that such a seemingly promising customer had turned out so badly, might want to hear more details, and that could turn into a headache, too. And at the same time, Erwin _hadn’t_ been cruel, or rude, or dirty, or anything else particularly bad, at least, not until he had turned out to be someone unequivocally too important and connected for Levi’s peace of mind. It seems a little unfair to lie.

           “Fine,” he says at last, with a shrug. “Nervous as hell, though. Just some rich asshole who thought he wanted a thrill, you know the type. I wouldn’t count on seeing him around here again.” It’s the truth, and it’s also enough of an unsurprising turn of events that nobody will give it a second thought when Erwin doesn’t return.

           “Really?” Gunda’s face falls. “Too bad. Well…” She brightens again, and mimes rubbing coins together, giving Levi a significant look. “At least we got our share when we had the chance, right?”    

           Erwin’s money is easily the part of the whole interaction that Levi feels the best about, so it’s easy for him to smirk and nod back.

-

           He puts Erwin’s money to good use later that afternoon, making the long slog to the part of the city to where the good shopping districts are. It’s practically a different world – no shit on the pavement, no diseased beggars slumped in the shadows, smartly-dressed men and women who murmur apologies and step quickly aside instead of cursing or starting a fight if they happen to get in the way of someone else on the street. The same men and women give Levi a wide, uneasy berth. He’s perfectly decent-looking, but he’s made enough trips out here in the past to know that he doesn’t have a hope of blending in. Not that it really matters, when he has money and the mind to spend it.

           Sure enough, the storekeepers are pleased enough to have him, and Levi spends a pleasant couple of hours browsing the shops and eventually picking up a creamy block of soap and a month’s worth of tea leaves. He’s walking out of the tea shop when a couple of uniformed men break off from where they’re lingering in the shade of another store’s awning and start across the street towards him.

           Levi groans inwardly, but doesn’t bother trying to avoid them. The police don’t bother venturing out to where the brothels like Levi’s are unless they’re looking for a cheap fuck, but they like to hang around in neighborhoods like this, where the infractions that do occur are generally few and trivial. Levi knows he looks like a tempting target – suspiciously out of place, but unlikely to be seriously troublesome – and he’s gotten shit from them a few times in the past. Nothing ever comes of it outside of a few minutes of teeth-grinding irritation.

           “Hello, there!” says the first officer as he catches up with Levi, baring his teeth in what’s probably meant as a grin. The second one doesn’t bother trying to act casual, giving Levi a look that makes it clear that he already expects this to end in some kind of fight.

           “What?” Levi asks flatly.

           “Doing a little sight-seeing?” the first officer asks. “You’ve got expensive taste, I see. Did anything-“

           Levi gives the tin of tea leaves that the officer had been eyeing triumphantly a shake. “It’s paid for,” he announces, enjoying the look of annoyance that passes over the other man’s face at being interrupted. “Go ask if you don’t believe me.”

           The officers spend an unnecessarily long moment exchanging glances with the clerk watching the scene nervously through the window of the store, before giving up.

           “Must’ve cost a lot,” the second officer grunts at last, changing tactics.

           “Yeah,” Levi agrees tersely. He’s already several minutes past the point of being done this conversation.

           “How lucky for you.” The first officer says. “Being able to afford such nice things.” He takes a step forward, bringing Levi a little closer to being pinned between their two larger bodies. This obviously isn’t going to end anytime soon. _Fucking Unicorns_. Levi can’t believe that these two don’t have anything better to do, even in a neighborhood like this.

           “It’s my money,” Levi snaps. “It’s real, I earned it, is there anything else you need to know?”

           “Earned it how?” The first officer demands, finally giving up the friendly act. “Picking pockets? Cutting rings off of fingers? I know I’ve seen your face somewhere before, which gang are you from?”

           “ _None of them_ ,” Levi answers, spitting the words out from between gritted teeth. Things are going in an unpleasant direction. He wonders in the back of his mind whether he made enough money off of Erwin’s visit to bribe the right people if these assholes take it into their heads to actually arrest him. “I don’t do any of that shit, I’m serious. You’ve got the wrong fucking idea.”

           The officer’s frown deepens, and he’s opening his mouth to snap something else when the second officer, the one who hasn’t done as much of the talking, cuts him off, a look of sudden realization on his face. “Wait, Bernat. I know who he is.”

           “Who?” Bernat asks suspiciously.

           “He crossed my path couple of times way back in the day,” the other soldier says. “Even heard rumors about him and some of the big names.”

           Levi stays frozen where he’s standing, hanging on the man’s words. It’s good that Bernat’s been distracted, but if these two know just who Levi had been connected to at one point, and how much, he might be in even bigger trouble.

           “…But not anymore,” the officer finishes, to Levi’s relief. “He’s been bouncing from one whorehouse to another for years now.”

           Bernat looks Levi up and down. “Oh?”

           Things don't feel quite secure enough for Levi to risk pissing them off by rolling his eyes or sighing in exasperation, but it’s a very close call.

           “Changed careers, eh?” Bernat claps Levi on the shoulder, chuckling in a way that makes Levi give the question of whether he has enough money to buy himself out of trouble if he breaks both of the officer’s noses a few seconds of serious consideration.  “And working hard, I see, with so much money to spend.”

 _If only you knew who gave me this money, shithead_ , Levi thinks.

           A thief is interesting, but a prostitute with an unusual amount of money turns out to be something much less worthy of attention, even for a couple of bored MPs looking for trouble. The officers head off with only a couple more teeth-grindingly knowing looks at Levi, leaving him feeling both relieved and thoroughly pissed off.

           When the sun starts to hang low in the sky and Levi’s on his way back to Gunda’s, he makes a stop at a bar and buys himself something that puts away another tidy chunk of Erwin’s money. It’s a little rash – Levi will need to be more careful with what’s left of the money if he wants it to last for any time at all, he’s spent more than he should today – but even though it’s stupidly petty, it feels satisfying to know that the drink probably isn’t something that a couple of good-for-nothing military police officers could easily afford. Certainly not something Levi could have afforded either, before his current line of work.

           When he arrives at the brothel, still wrapped in the warmth of expensive alcohol, he’s in a good mood again, which gets even better when there’s no sign of Erwin or any other military idiots hanging around. Levi puts his purchases somewhere safe, cleans himself up, and heads back downstairs to scope out the evening’s first hopeful customers, and everything else that follows is blissfully routine.

 

-

 

           It doesn’t last long. About a week and a half after Erwin Smith’s first visit, it’s the night before a holiday and the downstairs is filled with more men than usual, most some degree of drunk and in a festive mood. Nobody has much interest in Levi, though, and midnight finds him aimlessly tidying up the kitchen, drinking a cup of his tea and wondering if he feels like putting in the effort of going back out and trying to court the waiting men a little more aggressively.

           He’s sticking his head out the back door to dispose of some trash when he realizes that there’s somebody else outside, waiting alone in the darkness a little ways away from the building.

           Erwin’s face lights up. “Levi,” he says. “Hello.”

           “Hnnh.” Levi has started to smile reflexively – can’t ignore a hopeful-looking customer, and it’s hard not to respond to Erwin’s pleased expression – but at the same time the first course of action that leaps irrationally into his mind is to freeze, like an animal hoping the hunter won’t see it if it can stay still enough. If he doesn’t acknowledge the fact that Erwin’s here, _again_ , maybe it will turn out that this is all just a strange coincidence. Maybe Erwin is in the area on some other business, and he’s just happened to be passing by in time for Levi to catch him, and he’s not actually interested in buying some company for the night at all. Maybe.  

           “I’m sorry if I startled you,” Erwin says. “I didn’t realize how busy it was going to be, and I was trying to decide what, ah, would be the wisest thing to do.”

           Of course, the crowd out front would have made Erwin nervous, even though most of the other customers are probably horny or inebriated enough that the chances of anyone examining him too closely, let alone recognizing him, are most likely slim. Still, Levi supposes that he’s relieved that the man’s got _that_ much self-preservation, at least.

           Erwin doesn’t have to stay. Levi could feign obliviousness – _yeah, it’s really packed tonight, you’ll have to wait around with everyone else for a while if you want to see somebody –_ or even just make up some kind of lie, just like he could have done before in his conversation with Gunda.

           “You can come through here,” he says instead, somehow. “If you want.”

           Maybe Erwin looks at his soldiers like this when they carry out a command particularly well, pleased, but not really surprised. “That would be good. Thank you.”

           It’s dark, but Erwin’s good looks are still just as apparent out here as they had been when he first showed up outside Levi’s room. It’s not exactly bad to be smiled at by someone like that, Levi thinks as he holds the door open, as much of a pain in the ass as this is.

           Instead of walking all the way inside, Erwin pauses in the doorway, looking down at Levi with the same stupid smile on his too-nice face. “I’m glad that I ran into you,” he says.

           Levi fidgets. When they’re standing this close together, Levi has to lean his head back way too far to look at Erwin’s face, and he’s not dressed warmly enough to tolerate standing out here with the door open for very long. It looks as if Erwin’s gained some confidence since his last visit, but he’s still got a lot to learn if he thinks that Levi’s some hard-done-by heroine from a trashy novel, to be dazzled by the first handsome man who shows him a little kindness, commander or no.

           “What do you want tonight?” Levi asks, purposefully blunt as he pulls the door shut and herds them both of them fully indoors. “You saw how busy we are now, but there’s probably someone who could make time for you before too long…”

           “You’re not free?” Erwin asks, face falling so clearly that it would almost be funny, under slightly less nerve-wracking circumstances.

           Levi’s been making a point of neglecting to presume anything, torn between the hope of passing Erwin and the worries he brings off to someone else, and the fear, even though it’s really not his problem, that one of the others might recognize Erwin and be much less discreet than Levi has been. The fact that Erwin has such a clear idea of what he wants – though it’s still absolutely beyond Levi as to _why_ – comes as something of a relief. “I'm free.”

           The smile is back, grateful and relieved. “I’d like you again. Please.”

           “Sure,” Levi agrees, trying to act nonchalant. He hopes that Erwin doesn’t lose the polite shit no matter how many times he comes here. ( _Not_ , he quickly amends the thought, _that it would be a good idea for him to keep coming here_.) There aren’t nearly enough men who remember their manners in a place like this, and Levi would be lying if he said that being talked to like this by someone of Erwin’s status in particular isn’t a little fun.

           He’s mentally calculating the risks of getting Erwin to his room – there’s no way upstairs that won’t take them past at least a few others, but nobody pays much attention to other people’s customers, and with Erwin out of uniform and in such an unlikely place, surely things are safe enough – when he realizes that they aren’t alone anymore. Gunda’s standing in the doorway that leads out of the kitchen towards the front of the building, staring at them curiously. “What’s this?” she asks. “Didn’t see you out at the door, sir.”

           She’s keeping a light tone for Erwin’s benefit, but Levi can tell that she’s suspicious, tilting towards pissed. Every so often somebody will try sneaking a customer in unnoticed, making use of their room and their bed without Gunda knowing about the customer or seeing any of their money, and it’s the one real way to wind up instantly on her shit list. Levi knows that he has some talking to do before he finds himself in trouble completely unrelated to Erwin’s identity.

           “He was out back,” Levi tells her. He doesn’t bother trying to come up with an explanation for that – if Gunda thinks it’s strange that Erwin was lurking on the opposite side of the building from the clearly marked entrance, she can ask him about it herself, and maybe Erwin will finally figure out what a risk he’s taking by coming back here so boldly. “I just noticed him, and went ahead and let him in. I was just going to look for you.” He adds the last part pointedly, trying to make it absolutely clear that there’s nothing underhanded going on, at least as far as money is concerned. If Levi gets kicked out of the best arrangement he’s had for years because of his mystifying inclination to enable Erwin’s even more mystifying behavior he’s going to strangle the man, no matter who he is.

           Gunda gives Levi a shrewd look, but seems satisfied, especially when Erwin pulls out his wallet readily. He buys a full hour. Levi watches the transaction nervously, but Gunda glances from Erwin’s face to the money he counts out for her without batting an eyelid, and even bids him a cheery goodnight as he and Levi start upstairs.

           Nobody else gives Erwin and Levi a second look either, not even when they interrupt another couple going at it halfway up the stairs. (Levi gives the pair an ineffectual kick before stepping gingerly over them, Erwin follows suit after an self-conscious pause.) Still, Levi’s intensely relieved when they reach his room and he can shut the door behind them, muffling the rowdy noises coming from the rest of the building and blocking out anyone who might still turn out to be unluckily perceptive.

           “Well,” Erwin says as he takes a seat on the side of the bed, sliding his coat off his shoulders. “Things certainly are busy around here tonight.”

           His smile is jovial and a little flustered, but Levi is still on edge, even here in the privacy of his own room. Things had been simple when Erwin had been Mr. Smith, maybe a little richer or a little more hesitant than the average customer, but ultimately just another man that Levi would never have to think about again after the night was over. This is a different situation entirely.

           Erwin’s looking at him a little curiously, and Levi realizes that he’s still standing by the door, awkwardly far away from Erwin and the bed. He makes himself go over to Erwin’s side. “You never told me what you’re looking for, earlier,” he says, hoping that he sounds sufficiently seductive and that Erwin has something in mind for the next hour, because Levi has no idea what to do, how to treat a man who does things and sees things Levi can’t even imagine, who probably has more money and power than anyone else he’ll ever meet in his life. Tonight is Levi’s turn to be completely unsure of himself, apparently, and it’s Erwin’s damn fault for stubbornly coming back even though this isn’t the place for him at all.

           “Oh,” Erwin says. He’s brought one hand up to rest low on Levi’s back, and he’s giving Levi an uncomfortably searching look. “Like last time, maybe?”

           “Okay.” As boring as the suggestion is, Levi’s pathetically relieved to have some instructions to follow, something else to focus on besides how utterly weird this all is. And it’ll be much easier to take his mind off of exactly who Erwin is when he can concentrate on his dick instead of his face. Levi gets to his knees eagerly, dropping away from Erwin’s touch and reaching for his belt.

           This part, at least, goes just as smoothly as it had the first time. Levi takes Erwin out and licks him wetly from base to tip, takes as much as he can into his mouth at one time. Erwin is quiet for most of it, just like before, but from the way that he rocks against Levi’s mouth – not too hard, considerately – and the way his breath comes in choked little gasps above Levi’s head it's clear that he's enjoying himself. Before long he’s hard enough that Levi doesn’t have to use his hand to keep his cock in place, and Levi’s well on the way to putting his earlier unease out of his mind.

           At least, until he lets himself go enough to try talking for a second. “Good?” he pants, pulling back to catch his breath and buy time in case Erwin’s already too close to last. “You like that, don’t you, M…Mr. Smith.” He stumbles over the name, unmistakably. _Shit._ He glances up, hopeful that Erwin’s too distracted to notice, only to find him is gazing down with the same unnerving expression as before, brow furrowed a little.        

           “Sorry,” Levi mutters. He looks back down, to where his hands are suddenly fisted on his knees. _Pull yourself the fuck together_ , he thinks fiercely. What’s gotten into him? Erwin’s yet to be anything less than pleasant in his treatment of Levi, and who he is wouldn’t even be an issue if Levi hadn’t happened to make the connection and open his stupid mouth. Erwin’s not going to be a problem, especially as long he can continue to move around the brothel unnoticed.

           Levi knows that, and yet he can’t get past it, the sheer distance between them – the distance that _should_ be between them, he amends, eyes flicking back to where Erwin’s dick is bobbing a few inches away from his face. Levi’s always had more than enough to worry about on the right side of the walls, but he’s grown up with the same Titan horror stories that everyone else has. Erwin’s seen them in real life, maybe so many times that he’s lost count by now. He’s sent men and women out to battle and watched them disappear screaming into mouths lined with teeth the size of Levi’s arm. He’s crossed paths with all kinds of the sort of people who as good as hold the lives of Levi and others like him, maybe even the _king_ , and he fucked Levi two weeks ago and he’s somehow back again, sitting there on Levi’s bed and staring down at him with those piercing eyes…

 _Probably wondering what the hell you’re waiting for._ Levi successfully drags his train of thought out of the giddy loop that it’s working itself into, and reaches for Erwin’s cock again – it’s getting soft, Levi’s let himself get so fucking thrown off that he can’t even do something like this right – but Erwin catches his hand, blade-calloused fingers gentle on his wrist.

           “…Something wrong, Mr. Smith?” Levi asks, barely keeping himself from snapping the words out.

           “Wait,” Erwin says. He shifts a little, as if to make room for someone else beside him on the bed. “We need to talk. Get up, please.”

           Levi lets his hand drop, but stays where he is. “What?”

           For a few seconds, Erwin just looks at him, expression maddeningly unreadable, until he realizes that Levi isn’t going to move. “I’m afraid,” he says at last. “That I may have put you in an uncomfortable position.”

           Despite his discomfort, which is growing even stronger now that Erwin apparently wants to _discuss_ how strange this situation is, Levi has to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from shooting back some easy innuendo – _it wasn’t that bad, sir, I hardly felt it the next morning_. “I don’t know what you mean, Mr. Smith,” he says instead, hoping that Erwin will get the right idea and let the subject drop.

           Erwin frowns. “That’s not necessary. I want you to speak freely with me, Levi.”

           He starts to tuck his limp cock back into his trousers. There’s not much of a point for Levi to keep kneeling on the floor when there’s nothing for him to do, and this conversation seems like it’s going to be a long one, so he pushes himself reluctantly to his feet. He doesn’t want to sit down next to Erwin, side-by-side on the bed like a couple of nervous teenagers getting ready for their first time, so in the end he just stays standing where he is, arms crossed.

           “I told you,” he says, when Erwin’s obviously waiting for him to say something.   “I don’t care who you are.”

            “You must have been startled, the last time we – the last time we met,” Erwin tells him. His voice sounds steady and earnest even as his fingers are readjusting his underclothing. “I'm sorry for that. I didn’t mean for you find out, especially if this has worried you.”

            Levi shifts on his feet, mouth pressed shut. Erwin’s words are seductively reassuring, but no matter how nicely he puts it, it doesn’t change the fact that the less time they have to spend dwelling on the weight of this situation, the happier Levi will be.

            “You didn’t tell anybody.”

            Erwin doesn’t really say it like a question, but Levi can’t help but snapping back an answer anyway. “ _No_.”

           Erwin has the gall to fucking _smile_ a little bit, as if they’re friends. “Thank you.”

           Levi nods stiffly. “But…” he adds after a pause, making Erwin’s brows go up in surprise. He can’t hold himself back, even if it drags this incredibly unnecessary discussion on longer. “Why here?”

           “What do you mean?” Erwin’s voice is even, unchallenging.

           Is he really thoughtless enough that he needs to have things spelled out for him, or is he trying to irritate Levi? “Don’t tell me someone like you has to come all the way out here for a fuck.”  

           “Do you usually care so much about what brings men to you?” Erwin asks. “As long as you get paid, it’s not a problem, isn’t it?”

           There’s no scorn in his words, but Levi finds that he feels stung all the same, for all that it’s hardly the worst thing someone’s said about him. (And not even particularly incorrect, really.) “Of course not, Mr. Smith,” he says, not even making an attempt at sounding genuinely respectful. Let the man do whatever the fuck he wants, he decides. Levi’s just here to do his job, not to fuss about other people’s stupid decisions.

           Erwin has enough decency to look a little sorry, at least. “What I want to make clear,” he says gently. “Is that you don’t need to worry about anything. As long as I’m calling on you, I promise that I’ll do everything to make sure that none of this causes any inconvenience for you.”

           “Great,” Levi snaps.

           There’s an uncomfortable silence. After several seconds go by, Erwin clears his throat. “That’s all I wanted to say.”

           Levi interprets this as a hint to get back to work, but when he reaches for Erwin’s fly, Erwin pulls away. “Yes?” Levi asks through gritted teeth.

           “Just a second.” Erwin’s looking down at him, and Levi can see something of the same self-conscious uncertainty that he’d had his first time. “Can I kiss you?” he asks.

           Levi blinks. He hadn’t expected that, though it’s a welcome change of topic. “Yeah,” he says, and then remembers: “If you don’t care that I just had your dick in my mouth. Or I could rinse, I guess….”

           He’s getting up, ready to head for the bathroom, but Erwin catches his arm. “That’s – that’s alright. I’m sure it’s fine.”

           Levi shrugs. “Your money.”

           Erwin sits Levi sideways on his lap with his hands resting lightly on Levi’s hips, and then pauses, just as hesitant as last time. It’s a little cute, and Levi finds his bad mood starting to fade. Getting upset when Erwin doesn’t acknowledge how strange the situation is and then upset when he does isn’t very fair, and while Erwin’s kind of clueless, he hasn’t done anything really bad so far. If this is really what he wants, Levi can put up with it, especially since Erwin seems earnest enough that his promise not to cause him any trouble was probably serious.

           Levi leans into Erwin, curling his arms around his shoulders and nuzzling at his neck in the way that so many of his other customers like, especially the shy ones. Erwin tenses, and his hands tighten promisingly. “You like to take your time, huh, Mr. Smith?” Levi murmurs, lips almost brushing against Erwin’s racing pulse.

           Erwin doesn’t say anything. One of his big hands slides up over Levi’s back. Levi waits for a kiss, but it doesn’t come. Erwin certainly isn’t worried about the time, and Levi isn’t sure whether it’s because he’s still that unsure about what he’s doing here, or if it’s just the way he is.

           Either way, after a few long moments of getting held in silence, Levi starts to feel a little restless. He stirs a little, purposefully making sure that his ass rubs lewdly against Erwin’s crotch.

           “I thought you wanted a kiss?”

           “You said it was my money,” Erwin answers. Levi can’t see his face, but he sounds a little amused.

           Levi nips at his earlobe. Erwin starts, and Levi freezes, mentally kicking himself for getting carried away, even for a second. He knows that it hadn’t hurt at all – he’s used the same move to tease countless other men – but despite all Erwin’s nice words, it would, in retrospect, probably have been wiser to avoid biting the man in charge of a third of the military.

           Erwin pulls Levi back until they’re looking at each other. To Levi’s relief he doesn’t look angry, just startled. “What are you doing?” he asks. The words are breathless, and sound more spontaneous than anything else Levi’s heard from him tonight.

           It’s good to have the upper hand again – or something like it, at least – even though a second earlier Levi had been just as surprised at himself as Erwin is. Now, even though he’s back at ease, he finds himself at somewhat a loss for a good next move. He’s not quite daring enough to try something else just yet, but it doesn’t feel like he needs to apologize, either. “C’mon,” he urges at last.

           It’s not his smoothest moment, but Erwin is evidently enough of an undiscerning customer that it does the trick. He nods a little, swallowing, and Levi’s been doing his job for long enough that he can see that for at least one moment he’s got Erwin hooked, got the person who means life and death for hundreds of men and women – for everyone inside the walls, even - agreeing with whatever he says. The knowledge floods his body as if someone’s dumped a bucket of ice water on his head, bracing and petrifying at the same time, but he only has a second to spend with that feeling, and then Erwin’s lips are on his.

           Levi offers his kisses readily enough to the men who want them, but it’s rarely his favorite part of the job, in all honesty. All too often, it’s stifling to be pressed so closely to a stranger without a cock in his ass to distract him, and the idea of having someone slobbering into his mouth makes his skin crawl if he gives it too much thought. Erwin’s not bad, though. He doesn’t have much in the way of technique, but he’s not pushy, just as polite and slightly boring as he’s shown himself to be in almost every other way. His mouth is warm and clean-tasting.

           Levi lets Erwin set the pace, keeping up his own side of the deal by moaning and squirming against him to a degree that’s hopefully enough to be encouraging without overdoing it. Erwin’s hands are at his back, cupping Levi to him almost delicately. Levi wonders who it is that Erwin’s imagining he’s kissing right now. Some men get carried away when they get like this, moan out the name of the man or woman that Levi’s getting paid to stand in for. Levi tries to imagine what Erwin’s reaction would be if that happened now, if he’d turn his face away or force out some ridiculously formal apology. Levi things that something like that might be a little fun to see, but he doesn't mind when Erwin doesn’t stumble, just keeps kissing him as earnestly and persistently as he had fucked him the other night.

           Erwin’s getting hard, cock hot against Levi’s the underside of Levi’s thighs even through their clothing. Levi rocks against it, and Erwin groans into his mouth. For his own part, Levi’s not having a bad time either. This is more fun than starting things off with a boring blowjob, and Erwin’s body and lips are pleasantly solid against his. Levi could almost pretend that he’s kissing a real lover too, if not for how well he knows by now to keep a practiced, businesslike distance from everything he does in this room.

           When Erwin finally pulls away, Levi snuggles against his neck again, content to continue to play whatever well-bred paramour Erwin has in mind. They’re both a little out of breath, and Levi can practically feel Erwin’s heart racing inside his broad chest.

           “I don’t know how much time there is left,” Erwin says quietly after a moment. He sounds almost apologetic. “Could we…?” He moves his hips against Levi a little in suggestion.

           “Oh,” Levi says. He swipes his tongue over his own lips distractedly, feeling their puffy slickness. “Yeah. Of course.” He hops off Erwin’s lap.

           Erwin starts unbuttoning his shirt, and for a few seconds, instead of digging out the lube or getting undressed himself, Levi just looks at him. Erwin Smith, paying him a visit for no less than the second time. It’s still a ludicrous situation, but Levi’s feeling more and more as if he could make the most of it.

           It’s that idea that’s in his mind when he speaks up. “Hey.”

           Erwin looks up, pausing in the middle of discarding his unbuttoned shirt. There are a few old scars on his chest and back. Levi hadn’t given them much thought last time, but now he can’t help but imagine what kind of narrow escapes outside the walls might have caused them.

           He almost asks about it right there, out of sheer morbid curiousity, before making himself concentrate on the task at hand. Erwin should be just another customer in here. And Levi’s got a few cards up his sleeve to leave a pleasant but unimaginative customer like him entertained enough that he’ll keep coming back for more, if that’s what Erwin insists on anyway.

           Levi comes over to lean on Erwin’s knee again, letting one hand rest boldy on his chest. “I’ve got a good idea,” he murmurs into Erwin’s ear.

           Erwin starts a little. Levi wonders if he’s worried – or maybe hopeful - that he’s going to get his ear bitten again. “You like a hard sell, don’t you?” Erwin comments. Again, Levi has the distinct impression that Erwin is smiling.

           “I’m good at what I do,” Levi corrects him. “You said it yourself last time.”

           Erwin really is smiling – more of a smirk, perhaps – but before he can say anything else, Levi decides to shut him up. He reaches a hand down to where Erwin’s still noticibly hard, and gives him a squeeze. “Ever had anyone ride your cock before?”

           He can feel Erwin’s chest rise and fall as he sucks in a breath. “No,” he says at last, voice tight with arousal.

           A straight-laced noble after all, it seems, just as Levi had first suspected. “Wanna try it?”

           “Yes.” Erwin gulps, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Please.”

           Again with the pleases and thank yous. For all the misgivings he knows he should still be having about this, Levi always does appreciate a well-mannered customer. He gives Erwin’s cock another squeeze, humming in approval. “Sounds like a plan, then, Mr. Smith.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next will have one or two new tags. :)

 

              “Are you ready?” Erwin asks, doing what Levi deems to be a fair job of trying to hide his impatience.  

              He glances over at Erwin from where he’s leaning against the bed, bracing himself with the hand that doesn’t have a couple of fingers up his own ass. They’re in the middle of something like an intermission for the time being, mostly to give Levi the chance to lube up. Erwin, already fully naked on the bed with his stiff cock standing up proudly, doesn’t need much else at this point.

              “Yeah,” Levi assures him. “Just a second…” One last careful rotation of his fingers and that should be good enough, Levi’s feeling ready to go and he knows what to expect from Erwin. “Okay, done.”

              Erwin makes a face that’s half amused, half a grimace at Levi’s bluntness, but he doesn’t say anything. It’s clear that he’s more excited for what’s to come than anything else right now, just the way things should be.  

              Levi wipes his hand clean on a far corner of the sheets, and comes over to stand by the head of the bed. Erwin’s a sight to see all stretched out on the sheets, long limbs thick with muscle and rough with golden hair, military training just winning out over age and a noble’s diet in the slight rise of his belly. Levi’s positively scrawny in comparison to someone like that, not that it bothers him especially.  Judging by the look on Erwin’s face, it doesn’t seem to bother him much either.  

              Levi’s left his shirt on, even with everything else long gone, and Erwin’s bold enough to reach out and tug at the hem, as if to pull Levi to him. “Why are you still wearing this?” he asks, lips curving up lazily.

              Levi’s feeling bolder too, bold enough to heft himself onto the bed without a reply, swinging one leg wide until he’s straddling Erwin’s hips. He’s careful to not actually put his weight on Erwin – not yet – but for a heady second he can feel the solid heat of Erwin’s erection brush against his ass. It’s clear that the brief contact doesn’t escape Erwin, either, but he's admirably patient and uncomplaining when Levi pulls away. _Military discipline_ , Levi notes.

              He runs both hands up over Erwin’s abdomen and chest, noting the swell of muscle, the way Erwin’s nipples stiffen under his palms. Erwin has a lot of chest to grab at, and so Levi takes his time, kneading gently at Erwin’s pectorals and watching what kind of a reaction it gets him.

              Even in the low light of the room’s one lamp, it looks as though Erwin’s face is flushing at Levi’s actions, but he clears his throat a little awkwardly after only a few seconds.   “I don’t think we have much time left, Levi.”

              “There’s plenty of time,” Levi assures him, chasing a thin scar that curves over Erwin’s side with one hand. When he’s done, he sits up a little, starting to unbutton his shirt with theatrical deliberation. Erwin makes a noise somewhere between a chuckle and an grunt of impatience and starts to push himself up onto his elbows, and Levi lets his hands fall immediately, giving Erwin’s shoulder a little shove. “ _Wait_ ,” he orders, forcing aside the awareness that he can feel what’s undoubtedly Erwin’s cock sliding against the inside of his thigh, and that he might, once again, be pushing the limits of what he can get away with here.

              Wonder of wonders, Erwin lets himself drop back down on the sheets, face showing nothing worse than amusement.

              "Just wait,” Levi repeats with a smile, heart thumping in his chest. Rose and Maria, he wouldn’t talk to a lot of his _normal_ customers like this, and here he is now, giving Erwin Smith the slow treatment.    

              He’s stripped for lots of men before, even halfway to getting fucked like he is now, so the only complicated thing about the next part is hiding the fact that his leg muscles are starting to protest keeping himself up like this for so long. But Levi doesn’t have the heart to tease Erwin too much more, anyway, so he doesn’t waste much time, just unbuttons his shirt and lets it hang open around his shoulders with only a few short breaks to stroke at his own chest leisurely.  

              “You don’t have to do all this,” Erwin tells him, voice husky and aroused even as he lets out a little snort. Levi pauses in the middle of gripping his own half-erect cock wantonly, feeling rather offended. Another result of Erwin’s inexperience with these kinds of transactions – the man doesn’t know enough to appreciate when someone’s pulling out all the stops for him.

              Well, Erwin won’t be so unimpressed in a few seconds, if Levi knows his business. He swallows his annoyance, and brings his hands down to rest on Erwin’s body, preparing to brace himself. “You said nobody’s ever done this for you before, Mr. Smith?” he asks. The name rolls smoothly off his lips this time, to his relief.

              “No,” Levi can tell that Erwin's body is tense, that he wants to dive up and make a grab for Levi again, but somehow he’s still holding back.

              “Then,” Levi lets himself drop just slightly, forcing his voice steady and seductive despite the ache in his thighs. “I think you should watch.”

              Erwin takes the suggestion instantly, lifting his head to stare drunkenly down at where Levi’s hovering over his cock.

              Levi starts to lower himself, reaching behind with one hand to guide Erwin’s cock into place. The head slips in easily thanks to his earlier efforts, and he and Erwin both suck in noisy breaths.

              “Mmm,” Levi hums. “I’m all ready for you, see? Do you like that?”

              Erwin swallows, nodding. Levi can see that any skepticism he might have once had about Levi’s performance has quickly disappeared.

              “I like it too,” Levi continues. “Like your nice, thick, _cock_ …” He slides down until he’s fully seated on Erwin, legs stretched out over his hips and ass full. Erwin groans, the sound low and rich. Levi’s panting, trying to adjust before proceeding with things. He doesn’t hurt at all, but it is something of a stretch, especially given how deep he can take Erwin in this position.

              When he’s ready a few seconds later, he sees that Erwin’s eyes are still squeezed shut, brow furrowed as if in concentration. “All right, Mr. Smith?” Levi asks, managing to keep his tone satisfyingly light.

              Erwin nods, letting out a slow, ragged breath.

              “Think you can handle a little more?”

              “There’s more?” Erwin grunts.

              Levi can’t help it: He lets out a burst of laughter right there, in the middle of a job, on top of the man who’s been the source of so much confusion and unease for so long. “Lots more, Mr. Smith.”

              Levi has to put some of his weight on Erwin’s chest, but Erwin’s solidly-built enough that it doesn’t bother him, or if it does, he’s too distracted to complain. It’s enough to let Levi shift his body up and down, letting Erwin’s cock start to slide out of him before sinking back down onto it once more. Erwin stares up at him through half-lidded eyes, rapt. His hands come up to rest loosely on Levi’s hips. They’re a little sweaty – just like the sweat that’s starting to form on Erwin’s forehead and chest – but Levi doesn’t hold it against him.

              “You wanna move?” he asks after a little while. It’s half in case Erwin needs the encouragement – Levi knows he’s good, but Erwin probably won’t enjoy himself too much if it’s just Levi using him like a living sex toy - half because Levi’s not sure how much longer he can keep doing all the work on his own.

              “Yes.” Erwin’s fingers flex uncertainly. “Is that….?”

              “It’s fine,” Levi assures him. “Go on.”

              He’s in the middle of bringing himself down, and when Erwin thrusts up with all the pent-up lust that’s been brewing since they started, he’s suddenly balls-deep a lot quicker than Levi had anticipated.

              “Gah.” Levi chokes on spit, struggling to regain his composure before he makes Erwin lose his nerve again. He manages to turn coughing into a loud moan, grinding down against Erwin for good measure. Erwin keeps going, popping his hips up with almost mechanic regularity, and just like last time, all Levi needs to do is keep up.

_A little better than what you usually get, huh?_ Levi almost gloats, but he holds himself back. Bringing up a customer’s life outside the brothel is risky under the best circumstances, and it would be particularly unwise to push things with Erwin, especially since it feels as if Levi’s been right on the edge of overstepping several times already tonight.

              Instead, he just focuses on the job, keeping himself balanced as Erwin bounces him on his cock. Before long, Erwin’s confident enough to slide his hands around to grip Levi’s ass, spreading him open even wider.

              Levi gasps, only half on purpose. It feels as though kissing Erwin would be the right thing to do now, especially given how much the commander had liked it earlier, but Erwin is too damn tall for Levi to quite reach his mouth like this. He settles for stroking whatever parts of Erwin’s chest and stomach he can touch, hands fucked into shakiness.

              Erwin’s grip suddenly tightens even more, fingers digging into the meat of Levi’s ass, and without further warning Levi finds himself pitched forward against Erwin as a particularly forceful thrust catches him unprepared. His fingers scrabble for a purchase, nails catching at skin. Scratch marks bloom white and then red just next to one of Erwin’s nipples.

              “Oh.” That’s enough to sober Levi up in a hurry. He’s done it now, the playful nip earlier had been close enough to testing the boundaries of Erwin’s good humor, but this is sure to cross the line-

              Erwin lets out a noise that’s somewhere between a gasp and a sob, and before Levi can start to put together a hasty apology – _oh shit, I really hurt him, shit shit shit_ – he drags Levi all the way back down and holds him there. Levi hasn’t even had the time to sit back up properly yet, and so he ends up collapsed in a messy heap on top of Erwin, face pressed into his heaving chest and ass stuffed with come and a cock that, he realizes in the midst of absolute confusion, feels as if it’s rapidly going soft.

              When Erwin’s hold on him starts to slacken, Levi pushes himself carefully back up.   He studies Erwin’s face, waiting for his expression to darken, for a reprimand, or worse. But it doesn’t come. All Erwin looks like is, to put it bluntly, a man who’s just fucked himself silly.

              As Levi shifts, he can feel liquid starting to drip out of his ass. He sucks in a displeased breath through his teeth. He’s a sloppy mess, he’ll have to see to that before he can focus on damage control, or whatever it even is that this situation calls for.

              He’s slow in the bathroom, childishly reluctant to face Erwin. In the end Erwin comes to him, giving the bathroom door the same crisp, expectant knock he had given the door to Levi’s room on his first visit. Levi takes a moment to button his shirt back up, feeling the absurd need for this shred of decency even though the shirt doesn’t even go fully past his hips.

              He opens the door, revealing Erwin, still in all his naked glory and giving Levi a curious look. “Is everything all right? You were taking a long time.”

              “Yeah, I’m fine.” There really is something a little cute about Erwin’s hesitance, his unfamiliarity with all of this. “How about you?” Levi ventures.

              “Me?” Erwin looks a little taken aback, and then he breaks into a smile, easy and satisfied. “Excellent,” he says. “That was – you really do know what you’re doing, Levi, I must say.”

              Well, that's promising. “Sorry about that,” Levi says, gesturing at the scratches on Erwin’s chest. They’re still clearly visible, but they don’t appear to be quite deep enough to bleed, at least.

              Erwin glances down at himself, confused. “Oh.” When he looks up again, Levi’s surprised to see that he’s _blushing_ , unexpected but unmistakable. “It’s nothing.”

              “I never do shit like that normally,” Levi persists, though he’s feeling more curious than nervous now. Erwin’s been easygoing about so many things already that it’s not a complete surprise that he’d let something like this slide – though hearing as much is a relief, to be sure – but Levi has the distinct impression that there might be something else going on here. “Did I hurt you?”

              “No,” Erwin says quickly. “I mean, yes. It wasn’t…” There’s no question about it, he is _absolutely_ blushing. “I mean, it’s not a problem,” Erwin finishes firmly. “You don't have to worry about it.”

              “You’re sure?” Levi can’t resist asking. Sina’s tits, just when he’d thought that there couldn’t be any more surprises.

              “Absolutely.” Erwin says. “Now, if you’ll excuse me?” He waits until Levi’s stepped out of the bathroom and shuts the door behind him modestly, with a smooth confidence that doesn’t completely distract from his red face and the way that his cock appears to somehow be starting to stir between his legs again.

_Fucking hell_ , Levi thinks in disbelief.

              Erwin reemerges a minute or two later, tidy and composed once more. After they’re both dressed, he hands Levi an amount of money that’s not quite as outrageous as the first time, but still enough to get him all the fancy tea and soap he might want for quite a while.

              “Thank you,” Erwin says as he prepares to leave. “Tonight was… it was very good.” Levi thinks that he can just make out a hint of color in Erwin’s cheeks when he pauses. _I bet_ , he thinks to himself.  

              “Glad to be of service, Mr. Smith,” he says instead, and then, as Erwin’s starting out the door, he adds “Wait,” before he can think better of it.

              Erwin turns to look back at him, thick brows raised curiously.

              “Mornings,” Levi says. “There’s never anybody around in the morning.”

              “Yes?” Erwin clearly doesn’t quite get it.

              “So,” Levi explains. “ _If_ you want to come again, and you want to avoid a crowd, come in early and tell someone to get me. It’ll be a little weird, but probably no one’s going to give a shit as long as you keep paying well and don’t cause any trouble.”

              “Oh.” Erwin’s face brightens in pleased surprise, before falling slightly. “I don't know if I can do that, I’m afraid. I have my work…”

              “It’s fine,” says Levi, feeling a little stupid. Of _course_ Erwin’s busy. He’s not some lazy, low-ranked good-for-nothing like most of the soldiers Levi comes across, there’s no way someone in his position can sneak off to a brothel in broad daylight. “Come whenever you want. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

              “All right,” Erwin says, smiling once again. “Thank you, Levi. Have a good night.”

              Levi shrugs, feeling oddly self-conscious under Erwin’s steady gaze. “‘Night.”

              He stands there listening to the sound of Erwin’s footsteps until they fade away into the rest of the brothel’s noise. Levi’s got the nagging urge to follow Erwin, as if that would somehow make it safer for him to pass through whatever crowd still remains downstairs unnoticed, but he forces it aside. He’s already probably made a bad choice just by encouraging Erwin to keep coming back, anyway.

              But he’s got enough money now that he’ll be able to be especially picky with his customers for at least the next week, and all without having to work too hard for it, either. Fuck, the commander had even wanted a _kiss_ , of all things.

              And the memory of Erwin in the bathroom, big and naked and blushing and maybe not quite as boring as Levi had first thought, is something that Levi knows he’ll be turning over in his mind for some time.

 

-

 

              “C’mon, deeper, dee- _fuck_ , that’s it!”

              Levi sucks in a careful breath through his nose, forcing his throat still around the cock being pressed into his mouth. His knees – aching the morning after he had fucked Erwin for the second time, though that’s days ago now – are grinding dully against the cold stone floor.

              It’s not unheard of for Gunda’s workers to go out to meet men instead of the other way around, when they’ve proved themselves reliable enough to hand over a fair share of their payment when they return and the customer has proved himself reliable enough to send whores back in the same shape they arrive in, and that’s how Levi’s ended up in his current situation, under a long wooden table with his face pressed into pubic hair and undone trousers.

              “Gods, you’re good.” Heino is one of Levi’s few regulars, a second-tier gangster whose territory isn’t far from the brothel. They’ve known each other vaguely from all the way back when Levi was still something of a gangster himself, something that Heino seems to get a weird kick out of. He mostly annoys the shit out of Levi during the brief moments when they’re not having sex, but he’s not too bad as a customer, especially since Levi’s hanging on to all the steady clients he can right now. Business is slow, and he’s definitely not idealistic enough to put a lot of weight on Erwin’s continued interest and generosity alone.

              “Always such a good cocksucker.” A hand tangles in his hair, pulling him further still. “You love it, don’t you?”

              Levi bobs his head in as much of a nod as he can manage. Unlike Erwin, Heino’s typically happy to do most of the talking himself when they're together.

              Levi’s been giving his best for a while already, and so it’s not much longer before Heino finishes, tugging at Levi’s hair and flooding his mouth with come. Levi’s swallowing, sitting back under the table to give his knees a break, when there’s a knock on the closed door across the room.

              “What?” Heino calls, fingers working at his fly under the table.

              What Levi can see of the door swings open to reveal two pairs of legs. He pinches at the underside of Heino’s knee through his clothing, to no avail. _Asshole._

              “He’s here.” Levi can recognize the voice –and the corresponding pair of legs - as belonging to one of Heino’s men. He’s not sure about the other person, who’s wearing boots that appear stiff and new, and much finer quality than Levi or Heino or most other people he knows could afford to indulge in.

              “You’re early!” Heino finishes doing up his trousers in a hurry. “Well, come in, have a seat.”

              Levi listens to the sound of chairs scraping on the floor, wiping his dirty mouth on the back of his hand and simmering with humiliated irritation. Heino’s always been the kind of man who gets off on flaunting his whores, as if he can afford to buy some glamorous, high-class escort instead of someone like Levi, but Levi will have to have a talk with him before next time about how he’s _absolutely_ not getting paid enough to put up with shit like this, regular customer or no.

              “I already asked him about what you mentioned last night, and…” The first voice pauses.

              “What?” Heino asks, and then snorts. “Oh, it’s fine, it’s just Levi. You can go,” he adds, giving Levi an unsubtle nudge with his knee.

              Levi grits his teeth and gets out from under the desk with what he hopes is the utmost amount of dignity possible under the circumstances.

              Heino’s man grimaces. “I wish you’d stop doing that, boss.”

              The other person in the room is a man Levi doesn’t remember seeing around before. He’s maybe ten years older than Erwin, and he frowns suspiciously through a delicate pair of glasses rimmed with wire as Levi gets to his feet. Glasses are even harder to come by for the locals in this part of the city than good boots are. There’s definitely something unusual going on, Levi decides, not that he cares to know much more beyond that. The cloak-and-dagger bullshit is one thing that Levi definitely doesn’t miss about his old life.

              “Levi, from underground,” Heino says, patting Levi’s ass in a way that’s so nakedly desperate to project confidence that it’s not even worth getting pissed about. “Best fuck inside any of the walls.”

              The glasses man’s frown deepens. It’s clear that Levi’s name means absolutely nothing to him, and that he has no idea why he’s being introduced to a strange prostitute, and just as little patience for it. Levi can sympathize.

              “Anyway,” Heino begins, before realizing that Levi isn’t budging. He takes a few seconds to get the hint, and then he pulls out his purse and tosses it to Levi. “Take what you need and go.”

              Levi isn’t stupid enough to try and make off with much more than his usual price, but he takes his time counting out the money, a little petty retaliation. After he’s finally stretched things about as far as he dares, he deposits the purse back into Heino’s impatient hand and leaves the three men to their business.

              The place that Heino’s called him out to could marginally be considered to be some kind of bar, but it’s just as sleazy as the worst kind of brothel, dark and dirty and full of people who are almost certainly involved in dealings every bit as suspect as whatever’s taking place in the private room behind him. As Levi steps out into the mass of people in open floor of the building, someone calls out to him.

              “Levi!”

              Levi’s been doing business with Heino for long enough that Heino’s crew are all unsurprised to see him around, and a few are even something close to friendly. This one is one of the friendly ones, young, foolhardy, and constantly trying to butter Levi up in the vain hope that one day he’ll set him up with one of the ladies from the brothel. He waves Levi over, pressing a tankard of something into his hands.

              Levi doesn’t consider himself this guy’s friend, and he’s sure as fuck not going drink whatever he’s given in a shithole like this, but directly after having a dick jammed back to his tonsils, _some_ kind of drink is a welcome idea. He sets the tankard aside, and places a little of the money he had taken from Heino down on the bar.

              If the young man is offended at the slight, he doesn’t show it. “Rough night?” he asks, as if they’ve got something in common besides the fact that they both don’t have anything better to do than work for the same loser.

              “What’s your boss up to?” Levi asks him, ignoring the question. “The guy that’s in there with him now isn’t from around here.”

              He doesn’t listen that carefully to the clumsy attempt at a secretive reply that he gets, turning his attention to his fresh drink instead. It’s shit – this place would go under in a week if it had to depend completely on normal business, instead of its reputation as somewhere where you can get away with just about anything without too many questions being asked – but it’s good enough for rinsing Levi’s mouth out, at least.

              There’s a loud cracking sound from another corner of the floor, followed by a burst of excited noises.

              “Fuck,” Levi’s companion mutters, staring wide-eyed in the direction of the sound. “I don’t know why he likes having meetings here so much, there’s always some kind of weird shit going on.”

              Levi follows his gaze. Off to one side, there’s what appears to be a man in little more than his underwear, standing with his hands chained to the wall above his head. A woman wearing trousers and a low-cut top is standing beside him, holding what, even in bad lighting and at a distance, is unmistakably some kind of whip.

              At first, Levi thinks they’re witnessing some kind of public punishment, the result of the chained-up man running afoul of the wrong people, but then the whip darts out again, and the man makes a sound a lot like the one Heino had made when he came down Levi’s throat a little while earlier, and twists in a way that lets Levi see that what little is covering is crotch looks suspiciously tight. The knot of people gathered around the display shout approvingly, and Levi sees a few more watching silently with a mix of disgust and fascination on their faces.

              “Wow,” Levi says, drink paused halfway to his lips. He’s not at all sure that he approves of what’s going on – something like this in public, in a dump like _this_ , of all places, certainly isn’t something _he’d_ participate in, no matter how much money was involved – but he can’t look away, can’t pull his eyes off the way the man moans and writhes with each blow.

              “You’re into that?” Heino’s kid asks, somewhat warily.

              “Not _me_ ,” Levi replies, snapping sharply back to reality. He gets enough men coming in wanting to rough him up as is, he definitely doesn’t need any rumors that he’d actually enjoy it going around.

              “Someone you know, though?” When Levi doesn’t say anything immediately, he presses on, curious. “Someone from Gunda’s?”  

              Levi drinks, all kinds of thoughts turning over in his mind once again.

              “Sort of,” he says.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, as always! I hope you stick with me. :);;


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It goes without saying, but please don't use this fic as a model for any real-life BDSM activities, lol. (Or any real-life activities, to be honest.)

 

       Not even a week after Levi calls on Heino, Erwin’s back again. He shows up late at night, just like the other times, but once again he’s dressed plainly and doesn’t draw attention to himself, and if anyone’s noticed by this point that the unusually well-off new guest bears a certain resemblance to a prominent military official, Levi has yet to hear about it.      

       Before Erwin’s arrival, Levi’s activities for the night have consisted of one customer, a young man only possibly out of his teens who arrives with a noisy group of friends but loses his nerve as soon as Levi starts to take his clothes off once they’re alone, and one incident in which one of the other whores briefly mistakes _Levi_ for a customer. Said whore is new – it’s his first night, in fact – and no older than Levi’s nervous customer, if that. So many of the others look so young, now, though Levi doesn’t know if that’s a change, or if he’s the one who’s sticking around and getting older. It itches at something inside of him to see them, for all that Levi knows that most of the other options they have probably aren’t much better than selling their bodies, especially in a relatively safe place like this. Levi’s hardly in the position to be criticizing anyone’s life choices, anyway.

       All this makes for a tedious and slightly depressing evening, and Erwin is, needless to say, a welcome sight. Levi practically jumps on him when he enters, cutting in front of the new kid as he starts hopefully in the direction of the good-looking newcomer.  

       “Good evening, Levi,” Erwin greets him, smiling as if they’re the only two people in the room.

       Maybe if Erwin comes over often enough, if Levi’s the recipient of that smile enough times, he’ll get so used to it that it’ll be no more special than any of the little quirks his other customers have. “Ready to go up?” he asks.

 

-

 

       Buying a whore is definitely something that Erwin is getting better at with practice. There’s no sign of the awkwardness of his first visit – he’s on Levi as soon as the door closes behind them, in fact, putting one broad hand on Levi’s hip and guiding Levi close enough that Erwin can bend down and nuzzle at the back of Levi’s neck. He works his way forward, kissing along Levi’s jaw as much as their height difference and the angle will allow while his hands paw haphazardly at Levi’s clothing. Levi lets him, but he can’t help letting out a snort of amusement at the change in Erwin.

       He stops Erwin with a firm hand to his chest when the man gets Levi turned around enough in his grip to find Levi’s lips and start kissing him in earnest. It’s not because Levi really has a problem with it, but there’s something he wants to straighten out before Erwin gets too carried away.

       It’s always safer to err on the side of discretion when it comes to these matters, especially if clients don’t broach the subject themselves. But Levi’s gotten something of a feel for Erwin by now, and he doesn’t think that Erwin will react badly even if this conversation takes him by surprise. Not to mention that Erwin’s the one who stands to benefit the most, anyway.

       “There’s something you haven’t been telling me, Commander,” Levi says, permitting himself a smile that’s probably a little more teasing than seductive.

       Erwin had been waiting for Levi to speak, good-natured despite the interruption, but now his expression changes so suddenly and severely that it’s a little frightening. He looks, Levi imagines, as if someone’s just informed him of a Titan sighting, alarmed and wary and maybe a little angry.

       Okay, so Levi had thought wrong, clearly. “Hey,” he backtracks quickly. “It’s fine. I just thought, if you wanted to talk about it…”

       “What do you know,” Erwin demands, no question to his voice, eyes hard.

       “Um.” Levi’s never had somebody get quite this defensive about their strange turn-ons, but leave it to Erwin to be the unusual one. “Last time, I scratched your chest.”

       Erwin nods slowly, brow still furrowed warily.

       No point in beating around the bush. “I thought you might have enjoyed it.”

       The look on Erwin’s face undergoes another incredible change, coldness melting away into something naked and unsure, though just as taken aback as before. “ _Oh_.” Erwin says. “Oh. I see.” He swallows.

       Well, then. Levi doesn’t even want to know what Erwin _thought_ he had been talking about. If all military men are this jumpy, Levi’s going to make a point of not getting involved with any others, even if he has the chance. Serving Erwin alone is probably going to wind up taking a few years off his life.

       Erwin hasn’t noticed Levi’s moment of confusion, luckily, and he’s still looking at him with an expression that’s hesitant and a little hopeful at the same time. Levi regains his stride.

       “ _Did_ you enjoy it?” he persists gently.

       Erwin doesn’t answer. There’s a lovely shade of pink staining the skin at his high cheekbones. Levi’s suddenly startled by the realization that his own trousers feel unexpectedly tight.

       He shrugs and starts to turn away, making it clear that he’s not going to force the conversation. It gives him the chance to take his eyes off of Erwin’s face, too. “Well, it doesn’t matter,” he tells Erwin. “It’s your call, whatever you want us to do tonight…”

       “Levi.” Erwin interrupts. He’s almost stumbling over the words, urgent in a way that’s entirely different from before. “I liked it. I did.”

       Levi hadn’t been quite aware until now how much part of him had hoped that Erwin would deny it, that he’d turn Levi’s suggestion down entirely, maybe with a few disbelieving words about how ridiculous an idea it was, and then they’d kiss and fuck in whatever tame way Erwin wanted. Something like that would have been vastly simpler, and safer, too.

       But there’s no taking it back, especially when the look on Erwin’s face is still making Levi react in a way that he hardly ever does when he’s working.

       “You liked the pain?” Levi asks carefully. “Or being marked? Or something else?”

       The pinkness of Erwin’s cheeks gets a little more apparent, but he’s too proud to ask for the questions to stop, as much as Levi can guess that he might want to. “The pain.”

       Levi had guessed as much, but it’s good to have confirmation, especially since they’re headed into uncharted territory. Levi hasn’t done much like this with other customers. He doesn’t get many men who want him to be rough with them – the other way around is more common, if anything – and even on the rare occasions when they do appear, he’s never humored them beyond a shove and a few harsh words here and there. He’s known a few people who relish customers like that – who specialize, even – but it’s always been something that Levi’s never cared to take part in at all, before now.

       “Okay,” he says, when Erwin doesn’t offer anything more. “Would you like to try anything like that here?”

       “You do that?” Erwin asks, looking at Levi with something a little like awe. “For other men?”

       “No,” Levi admits. He’s sure as hell not going to give Erwin any false hopes about what he can expect Levi to do for him, especially not over something like this. “But I’m fine with trying it.”

       “Oh,” Erwin says again. His eyes are focused somewhere far away, seeing only whatever forbidden possibilities Levi’s words are opening up.

       “So,” Levi clears his throat a little. “What exactly are we talking about here?” He might be willing to go beyond his usual services, just this time, but Levi’s not about to start anything without making sure that they’re both _extremely_ clear about what’s going to happen.

       “What?” Erwin wrenches his attention back to Levi.

       “We can try what you want,” Levi explains patiently. “But you have to tell me what that is first.” _Because this night ending with the leader of the Survey Corps being found dead in a shitty brothel from some kind of perverse sexual escapade gone wrong won’t do anybody good,_ he doesn’t say aloud.   “Would you like me to…” He thinks back to what he had seen the last time he visited Heino, wincing mentally. If Erwin’s tastes run that intense, Levi isn’t quite sure he’ll be able to follow through with his offer. “Beat you, or something like that?”

       Erwin blanches, to Levi’s relief. “Oh no, that’s – that’s not necessary. Nothing like that, I think.”

       “Then…?” Levi prods.

       “Something like last time would be – would be good,” Erwin continues, the words slow and halting, drawn out from some place deep within him. “If you just…”

       “Scratched you?” Levi finishes. Erwin gives a terse nod, mouth pulled tight in self-conscious discomfort. “I can do that.” This part is nothing new. He’s an old hand at coaxing the details out of self-conscious customers with something particular in mind, even if the details are a little different this time. He thinks he can read Erwin a little better now, too – an unusual, embarrassing proclivity would be a good reason for a man like Erwin to seek companionship far away from wherever it is men like him typically go for sex.

       “Or a pinch, maybe,” Erwin offers. “Something small. Just enough to give me focus.”

       “Okay,” Levi agrees. He doesn’t fully understand everything Erwin’s saying, the appeal of this kind of activity still beyond him, but at least Erwin’s giving him enough specific examples that he should be able to do well enough, and all of his requests are mercifully unintimidating.

       He takes a step forward, looking up at Erwin through his eyelashes and letting a hand run lightly over his chest. Erwin’s tense, every muscle taunt like an animal on the verge of fleeing. They’re close enough that Levi thinks he can feel the heat of the considerable hardness in Erwin’s trousers against his own leg even though they’re both still fully clothed.

       Levi lets a thumb run lazily over one of Erwin’s nipples, and feels muscle swell beneath his hand as Erwin sucks in a breath, waiting for the bite of fingernails into sensitive flesh. Levi notes this, but doesn’t do anything further. _Not yet_.

       “Anything else you’d like, Mr. Smith?” he asks. It’s more of a tease than a real question. Levi’s settled in now, no longer too worried about anything else Erwin might throw at him.

       Erwin swallows. “Your teeth.” Levi watches as a pink sliver of tongue dart out from between Erwin’s lips, moistening them. “You could use your teeth.”

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck_. Nothing more than a little business talk, but Levi’s practically hard enough to drill through Wall Rose with his dick. Maybe there’s more to this pain stuff than he had thought.  

       He drops his hand, heading towards the cabinet with the lube. “Get your clothes off and get on the bed.”

 

-

 

 

     They fuck with Levi on top again, since Erwin likes it and it puts Levi in a good position to carry out what’s been requested of him. Once he’s fully seated on top of Erwin, Levi takes a moment to just breathe, gathering himself and figuring out where to begin. He can tell that Erwin’s practically quivering with anticipation below him, for all that the man’s trying to stay dignified even now. The movement of Erwin’s hips is slow and shallow, hardly anything at all, and Levi’s doing no more than just letting himself be rocked, for now.

       An idea pops into his head, one that he probably should have had about ten minutes ago. “How worried are you about scratches or bruises?” he asks, hoping that Erwin’s not too worked up to take the discussion seriously. “I’ll try to keep things light, but…”

       Erwin shakes his head. “Not worried. Whatever you do is fine.”

       Levi had expected as much, given how little Erwin had cared about the scratch marks on his chest last time, but it’s good to have confirmation, all the same. The information that Erwin Smith has nobody in his life who would notice such marks – that or very bad judgment, which, Levi thinks, is certainly a possibility – is something to be filed away for another time.

       “If I’m going too far,” Levi cautions, “You _have_ to tell me. Immediately.”

       “Yes.” Erwin arches his back, impatient.

       Levi bites back a grunt as the motion pushes Erwin a little deeper inside of him, and makes Levi’s own cock twitch. “Promise me.”

       “I _promise_ ,” Erwin replies, sincerely as a prayer. “Levi, please-”

       Levi makes himself tight around Erwin’s cock, and darts one hand forward, delivering the pinch Erwin had held his breath for earlier. Erwin’s words disappear into a long groan.

 

            -

 

       Some while later, Levi’s not sure if he’s got the skills to keep an audience entertained, but he’s more or less confident in his ability to satisfy Erwin. The commander is wonderfully appreciative of anything Levi gives him, and his body is like a finely-made instrument under Levi’s fingers, with Levi the student eager to learn how to play. He’s careful not to overdo it, of course – no matter what Erwin says, all the other times that Levi’s found himself temporarily petrified that he’s done something wrong are still too fresh – but even the slightest bit of roughness earns him a gasp, a spasm of Erwin’s hips underneath him. It doesn’t take long for Erwin’s chest and stomach to be mottled with little red marks and scratches, symbols of Levi’s efforts, and Levi sincerely hopes for Erwin’s sake that the man really is single.

       Erwin’s movements have been erratic ever since Levi really got started, without any of the precision or control of his earlier visits. It’s all been Levi working him over, not that Levi objects at all. But they’ve been at it for a while by now, and Erwin’s surely ready to be brought to finish. “How are you holding up, Mr. Smith?” Levi asks, dragging the fingernails of one hand lightly down Erwin’s well-marked side.

       Erwin actually cracks a smile, sweaty and exhausted and still rock-hard inside of Levi. There’s little sign of his earlier bashfulness – Levi’s undone him past the point of being caught up in emotions like that, it seems. “All right,” he replies, voice only a little choked. He catches one of Levi’s hands, squeezes. “Just a little bit more. Please.”

       “You got it.” Levi tugs his hand away so that he can brace himself enough to fuck himself on Erwin’s cock a bit more deliberately than he’s been doing so far. Erwin hasn’t stopped talking, though.

       “You don’t-” he manages to say, even though it’s clearly getting harder for him to talk normally now. “You don’t have to call me ‘Mr. Smith’.”

       “Yeah?” Levi asks. This is interesting, though he doesn’t let himself get distracted enough to stop moving. “Whatever you want, _Commander_.” He makes sure to roll the title richly off his tongue, as if it’s the sexiest thing he’s ever heard.

       It doesn’t get much of a reaction, though, to Levi’s surprise. If anything, Erwin’s look of dazed pleasure falters a little bit. He shakes his head. “’Erwin’ is fine.”  

       “Oh,” Levi says, unexpectedly taken aback. Somehow, this feels even more intimate than when Erwin had confessed his need for pain earlier. He realizes that he’s sucked in a breath, even though he’s not getting fucked very hard at all, even now.

       He lets the breath go, “Okay. Erwin.” Two short syllables, just like his own name.   For the umpteenth time, Levi can’t quite believe this is real – Erwin Smith in his bed, coming back again and again, giving a little more of himself each time – but this particular point, the name, is no stranger than any other part of the whole situation, he supposes. He can go with it.

       “ _Er-win_ ,” he says again, slow and purposeful this time. He runs his fingernails down Erwin’s body again, both hands this time. “Are you gonna come, _Erwin_? Gonna fill me up?”

       Erwin does, in very little time. Afterwards, he gives Levi even more money than usual. As he hands it over, he takes Levi’s hand in both of his for an alarming moment, grip strong, eyes warm and grateful. With his shirt on, there’s no sign of Levi’s handiwork.

       When he’s gone, Levi finds himself feeling oddly jittery, even though Erwin’s visit has pushed well past the time when Levi would usually call it a night. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also still hard. He jerks off in the bathroom, his breath sounding loud and harsh to his own ears even though he’s surely being nowhere near as noisy as he and Erwin had been only a little while earlier. Levi never thinks of anyone in particular when he masturbates – it’s been an embarrassing while since he had sex without making money off it, and most of his customers aren’t worth remembering – but he can’t shake the bizarre feeling that the hand he touches himself with is still warm from Erwin’s grip.

       It’s only a temporary distraction, though. When Levi’s finished, he feels better than before, almost twitching with restless energy. Sleep is out of the question. He can’t lie down in the same bed where he had just been with Erwin, not yet. Even his room itself feels a little off, suddenly too small.  

       He goes downstairs – empty, now – and out into the street. Summer has been rapidly changing into autumn over the last couple of weeks, but this night is still warm. The air outside clears Levi’s head a little, even though the heat doesn’t do anything to help the smell of garbage and filth in the street.

       Going for a walk in this neighborhood, at this hour, isn’t the smartest idea, but Levi’s not ready to go back inside the brothel and he doesn’t have anywhere else to go, so that’s what he winds up doing. The muddle of feelings and urges from earlier starts to fade, and in its place, Levi’s surprised to find himself feeling a little nostalgic. It’s been a long time since he last went out at this time of night truly on a whim – he’s settled a little too comfortably into an evening routine of working and sleeping, these days – and something about the dark streets brings back old memories of being younger and wilder, carrying out some kind of risky mission. Things are better the way they are now, Levi knows, safer and simpler, situations like the one he’s gotten into with Erwin aside. He can’t help but look back on those days a little bit fondly now, anyway.

       Ahead, there’s a route that will take him down what’s usually a busier street, maybe even now. A few years ago, when Levi hadn’t had a steady relationship with any particular pimp or brothel, he had spent more than a few evenings on that very road, fishing for business. That might be something that he could stand to try again, the way his luck’s been at Gunda’s lately, but not tonight. Levi takes a turn, going down a quieter street.

       He’s gone some ways, and is on the verge of heading back – whatever strange mood he had been in earlier is out of his system now, and he’s starting to feel the lateness of the hour – when he notices that he’s not the only one who hasn’t settled down for the night. A building at the corner has a light burning dim in the windows, and the door cracked open. There’s nobody in sight for the moment, but somebody’s left a cart outside, the contents of which are intriguingly lumpy and unidentifiable under a cloth cover.

       Levi goes closer, poised to react if he’s suddenly joined by anyone with bad intentions. The building’s windows are small and dirty, and what little Levi can see of the inside is unremarkable. The cart is no more noteworthy, on its own, though now’s an odd time to be transporting anything.  

       Levi’s reaching out to move the cover aside, curious, when he sees a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. He just manages to dodge the hand that comes grabbing for him, but he’s not quite as lucky with the fist that comes after it, brushing a little too close to the side of his face for comfort.

       It’s a woman built like a stone pillar, tall and thick and none too pleased to see Levi. She goes for a knife, and Levi does the same – he hasn’t gone anywhere completely unarmed for longer than he can remember. He only has a small blade, flimsy, and not what he would have preferred if he had known he was heading into a real fight, but it’s better than nothing, and now there’s nothing to do but make the most of it, either way.  

       They circle each other for a few tense seconds, Levi feeling alarmingly breathless and off-guard despite the fact that he had thought he had been prepared for something exactly like this, that this kind of fight would have been nothing at all back in the days he had been looking back on so foolishly only a few minutes earlier.

       It’s a point of pride for Levi that – he’s practically certain – his fighting skills are just as good as ever, even if they don't get used nearly as much. But even in his best years, Levi had never had to fight someone less than an hour after having a cock up his ass, and right now Erwin’s visit is making itself uncomfortably apparent. It’s just a little harder to move as well as he should, and when his opponent brings her empty hand up against the side of his head like a club, he gets too much of the force of the blow, gets thrown off-balance for a second too long. A second, more deliberate punch connects squarely with his face, and before he knows it, he’s on the ground with the woman on top of him, Levi’s own hand pinned harmlessly far away from anywhere where the knife its holding could accomplish anything.

       He struggles, with absolutely no result – the weight on top of him feels heavier than a lot of the larger men at the brothel – and grinds his teeth, seething. Taken down so easily – a fifteen-year-old Levi would have laughed, if he could have seen himself. A _ten_ -year-old Levi would have laughed. Any good will Levi might have felt towards Erwin earlier in the night has disappeared like dust in the wind for the time being.

       He feels the weight holding him down shift. The woman’s readying her knife, surely, ready to finish off the unlucky person who’s strayed into the middle of whatever it is that’s even going on, but maybe it could be an opportunity, a chance to break free. He’s bracing himself for a new burst of struggle when another person hurries out of the building.

       “ _Levi_? Is that you?” It’s a voice Levi knows, but not one that does much to make Levi happier about the situation. Fuck his customers, fuck all of them. Levi’s going to become a monk and go live alone in a cave after this night is over.

       Heino shoos the woman holding Levi down away, and actually tries to help Levi up, a gesture that only makes Levi’s bad mood worse. There really _had_ been something going on the other night, when Levi had unintentionally intruded on Heino’s meeting with the strange man, it’s undeniable at this point, and now Levi has the feeling that he’s walked into the middle of it again, with nothing but his own stupidity to blame this time.

       “…Something of a misunderstanding,” Heino is saying, nervous as he tries to reassure Levi and his attacker at the same time. “Levi’s no one to worry about. I’m sure he was just…ah, what were you doing, Levi?”

       “Nothing,” Levi grinds out. “Just wondering who the fuck was doing business _now_ , and suddenly…” He gestures in the direction of the woman, who’s looking distinctly displeased by the interruption.

       “Oh. Well.” Heino hesitates, nonplussed. He draws an arm around Levi’s shoulder, lowering his voice a little. “Levi. Did you see anything?”

       “What the _hell_ ,” Levi hisses back. Even though Heino could very well decide to let his guard finish the job at any second, for all he knows, he’s in no mood to mince words. He can already feel his face starting to swell where he’s been hit. It’s going to leave a sizeable bruise, for sure, which means that he can say goodbye to any hope he might have had of landing any kind of decent work for a while. A few more people – one or two of which Levi clearly recognizes as part of Heino’s usual group – are starting to stream curiously out of the building, as if this situation isn’t embarrassing and aggravating enough already.

       “You need to leave. I’ll explain next time you come over, honest-“

       “Might not _be_ a next time,” Levi growls. He can put up with a lot of shit for the sake of his work, but there has to be a limit somewhere, and in between this and the stunt from the other night, Heino’s value as a steady customer is becoming increasingly questionable.

        Heino actually does look startled and a little dismayed at that, somewhat to Levi’s surprise. He hesitates for a second, then turns to the cart, pulling the cover away enough to reach one hand inside. Levi watches, his interest only growing when he notices out of the corner of his eye that several of the others look as though they’re on the verge of speaking out against it.

       Heino presses something into Levi’s hands, the same way Erwin had given him his money a little while earlier. Levi doesn’t know what he had expected, but when he realizes what he’s been given, the first thing that pops into his head is that it’s some kind of joke.

       It’s berries, dark and plump and glossy in the light that’s still coming through the windows. Levi whips his head back up to give Heino an incredulous look.

       “For you,” Heino says. “Take it and-“

       “What the hell?” Levi asks again. “What am I supposed to do with this, you-“

       “Have you ever had anything like those before?” Heino cajoles, undeterred. “You know how much they go for?”

       He has a point, Levi has to admit. Fruit like this gets snapped up by the nobles as soon as it reaches the cities, making anything left over rarer and more expensive still, especially this late in the year. Levi would be able to buy what’s in his hands now if he used every bit of money Erwin had given him before leaving earlier in the night, maybe, and that’s if he could find a seller in the first place. On the other hand, the knowledge that he had apparently been on the verge of getting killed over fucking _pie filling_ only adds additional insult to injury.

       The whole thing is absolutely ridiculous, but right now, more than arguing or trying to get answers, all Levi wants to do is get out of here. “Fine,” he says heavily. “Whatever.”

       Heino looks heartened. “And this stays between us, of course…” he starts to add, but Levi’s already walking away. He’s half-waiting for one of the others to come after him, but no one does.

       The streets are just as dark and empty on the way back to the brothel as they had been when Levi set out, and of the few people Levi does see, nobody pays him any attention. As he walks, he pops one of the berries that he’s still holding into his mouth. It’s a taste like nothing he’s had before, to be sure, bright and tangy-sweet, but the specialness of it only makes Levi feel strangely uneasy, a shadow of the way he had felt when Erwin smiled at him earlier rising unpleasantly back up. He dumps the rest of the berries into a gutter before he gets back to the brothel.      

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for being especially late with this one! Some big life changes going on over the last few months, but things have been settling down a bit now. Thank you for your patience, and thank you for reading.<3

 

            “Have you heard about anything unusual around here lately?” Erwin asks.

            Levi pauses in the middle of doing up the buttons of his shirt, glancing at Erwin out of the corner of his eye. He had gotten a feeling that there had been something on Erwin’s mind for most of this visit, but he had been expecting something more along the lines of another halting revelation about Erwin’s sexuality. Maybe he should have known better. Survey Corps is close enough to the police, after all.

            It’s been more than two weeks since Levi’s late-night encounter with Heino, and the whole thing is as much a mystery now as it was then. Levi hasn’t heard or seen anything of it since then – Heino hasn’t even sent for Levi for the usual reason, which Levi doesn’t mind a bit – and Levi’s done his best to put the entire thing out of his mind. He’s been successful, until this moment.

            “Something unusual?” Levi repeats. “Only about five times a night. Want to be more specific?” He goes back to dressing himself, listening very closely to what Erwin has to say next.

            Out of the corner of his eye he sees Erwin smile a little. Levi has the feeling that he sees Levi’s non-answer for exactly the evasion it is, and that it’s what Erwin had expected. Erwin’s in a good mood now, pink-cheeked and sweaty, with a scattering of new red marks still visible where he hasn’t completely closed his own shirt yet. Despite Levi’s nerves in the beginning, he’s turned out to be rather good at working in a little pain after all. Things have been going easily enough. Levi hopes that can continue to be the case.

            “Anything special,” Erwin says innocently. “Unusual. I think you’d know.”

            “Anything that I might want to report to a nice officer like a good citizen, hmm?” Levi finishes putting himself back in order and comes to sit down on the bed near Erwin, brows raised. “When I think of anything, I’ll let you know.”

            Erwin smiles as he hands Levi his tip. It’s the normal amount, a show of goodwill that doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated, but there’s no way in hell that Levi’s going to say anything to him. Erwin’s not the first man in uniform to come out here sniffing for clues as well as a cheap fuck, though the shitty MPs Levi and the others see from time to time are usually a lot more up-front about it, and, though Levi doesn’t claim to understand the internal workings of the military at all, it doesn't seem that someone of Erwin’s status should have any interest in what goes on in this part of the city. It leaves a bad taste in Levi’s mouth, in much the same way that the business with Heino had.

            As agreeable as Erwin always is, Levi’s not quite lucky enough to be off the hook just like that. “Really, have you heard anything?” Erwin asks, just as he’s got one hand on the doorknob. His voice is soft, earnest. A bedroom voice. Levi crosses his arms.

“One, I said don’t have anything to tell you,” he repeats. “And two, if you’re fishing for something, you’ll need to say a lot more than that.”

            Erwin pauses, calculating. Then: “Anything about the Walls?”

            Levi had been braced to keep a straight face no matter what Erwin’s next words were, but he hadn’t been expecting _that_. “What!?” he says, so loudly that Erwin looks a little nervous. “What’s wrong with them?”

            “That’s not – nothing’s _wrong_.” Erwin assures him quickly. “Absolutely not. That’s not what I meant at all.”

            “So, what did you mean?” Levi’s tolerance for this line of conversation is going down by the second. All this vague urgency is reminding him of the encounter with Heino once again, though more than making Levi uneasy, it’s just fucking annoying.

            “The Walls are safe,” Erwin says again, all seriousness. “I swear it, Levi. I wouldn’t hide it if I knew we were in danger.”

            “ _Okay_ ,” Levi agrees impatiently. He’s mostly just trying to get Erwin to get back to the point of all of this, but as the word leaves his mouth he realizes that he really does believe that Erwin wouldn’t try to conceal something like that.

            Erwin seems sufficiently placated by this. “Anyway,” he finishes. “I promise that there’s nothing you need to worry about. But have you heard _anything_?”

            Levi shakes his head.

            Erwin gives him an uncomfortably piercing look for a few silent seconds, then nods. “I understand.”

            The door is almost closed behind him – somewhat to Levi’s relief – when Erwin seems to remember something else. “Oh. You might not see me for a while, by the way.”

            Levi can’t help but raise his eyebrows a little – the transition from unanswered question to this isn’t subtle at all, even by Erwin’s standards. “Yeah?”

            “I’ll have a lot to attend to until the next expedition is over,” says Erwin.

            Once again it’s the last thing Levi could have expected, though once again, he probably should have known better. He spends a lot less time than he used to thinking about who Erwin is outside of the brothel these days, but it’s impossible to put aside entirely. “You’re going outside?”

            “Yes,” Erwin says, as matter-of-factly as if Levi’s asked him if he plans on walking back home after this. “It’s an exploratory outing that’s been planned for months, again, there's nothing to worry about-“

            “You’re going outside,” Levi repeats, interrupting. Some part of him is aware that he’s coming a little too close to gawking like some noble’s idea of ignorant gutter trash, but on the other hand, Levi’s never been out of the city in his entire life. _Really_ outside is unimaginable, a vague idea of endless grass and sky, air that doesn’t stink from sewage, trees outside of the neatly arrangements he’s glimpsed in fenced-in parks in the very best parts of the city.  And Titans.

           Levi can feel the hair standing up on the back of his neck, adrenaline starting to prickle through his body. It’s something like the very first time he had realized just who Erwin was, the feeling of being so close to a world that’s so far away from his own, like touching a piece of a star fallen to earth.

           “What about the Titans?” he asks.

           Erwin gives him an odd little smile. He looks a slightly bemused and almost a little pitying, even though it’s sure as hell not _Levi_ who’s about to go out and probably get himself eaten.

           “We’ll see them,” Erwin says. “We’re prepared to deal with that when it happens.”

           Levi nods, for lack of any better response. There’s nothing he can say about that that Erwin isn’t sure to be keenly aware of already.

           “Well, all right,” he says at last. _Good luck_ , he almost adds stupidly.

           “Goodbye, Levi,” Erwin says. “I hope I’ll see you again in a few weeks.”

           Levi shrugs. “Not going anywhere.”

           It might just be Levi’s imagination, but he thinks that Erwin’s smile gets just a touch more genuine. He only gets a quick glimpse before Erwin’s gone, door pulled gently closed behind him.

\- 

           Levi would like to be able to say that he’s busy with work of his own, busy enough that he doesn’t even spare Erwin a thought in the days that follow. But customers are just as scarce as they always are these days, scarce enough that at one point he doesn’t do more than a single, cursory blowjob in the space of an entire week. It’s not necessarily a bad thing at all, especially now that he has enough money saved that everyday costs and even a treat here and there are comfortably within his reach, but free time leads to boredom, and nowadays boredom leads to all kinds of thoughts that Levi has no business thinking at all, for one reason or another.

           Cleaning is one way to stay busy, and thankfully, though Levi’s own room is always as neat as he can keep it, there are plenty of other parts of the brothel that have a long way to go. Levi arms himself with gloves and the strongest soap he can find, resolves to think as little as possible about what kind of filth he’s likely dealing with, and goes to work.

           He’s two hours into an attack on someone else’s neglected and thoroughly disgusting bathroom – the room’s owner is working outside for the night, and he’s given Levi free rein – when Gunda comes looking for him.

           “We need to talk,” she announces.

           Levi’s just discovered a large patch of what appears to be mold in a corner. It needs immediate attention, before it can spread into something that will leave permanent damage or make someone sick. “Can it wait? I’m working.”

           “No you’re not,” Gunda says. “That’s why we’re going to talk.”

           It’s clear from the look on her face that there’s no room to argue. Levi sets his scrubbing brush reluctantly aside, gets to his feet, and follows his boss - pimp, landlady, whatever - out of the bathroom.

           They end up somewhere that Levi’s surprised to realize is most likely Gunda’s own living quarters. Levi’s never been here before in the few years he’s been working for her. It’s at least two rooms, with furnishings that are oddly homey compared to what Levi’s seen of the rest of the building – there’s hardly anything comfortable or personalized about Levi’s own room at all, except for a few of his belongings hidden carefully out of sight. The bed is in the far room, almost out of sight behind a half-closed door. It’s the one bed in the whole place that Levi’s pretty sure hasn’t had any visitors, not for quite a long time, at least.  

           “What are you doing?” Gunda asks him.

           “There hasn’t been anyone for me in a while,” Levi says. “You know.”

           “There’s plenty of men downstairs,” Gunda says. “It’s the busiest time of night, and you’re up here by yourself doing who knows what.”

           “ _Cleaning_ ,” Levi argues. “Which we _need_ , by the way-“

           “You aren’t here to clean.”

           Levi’s been around long enough to know that Gunda is one of the nicer people in the business, most of the time, but it’s stillb usiness, and the other thing Levi knows is that there are some people you don’t push. He shuts his mouth.

           “You used to have a few you could count on, at least,” Gunda continues. “Like what’s his name, the one who always wants you to come to him…”

           “I'm done with Heino.”

           “Anything I should know?”

           “No.”   Attempting to explain the whole weird situation is the last thing Levi feels like doing right now.

           “Well,” Gunda raises her eyebrows. “I'm going to trust that there’s a good reason, because you know better than to get too picky. Especially at your age.”

           Okay, Levi’s not _that_ fucking old, and it’s not his fault that some people are willing to deal in virtual children. He bites down on the inside of his cheek, forcing himself not to speak too impulsively. “There are other customers, anyway,” he says at last. “Better ones.”

           Gunda’s eyebrows go a notch higher. “Like Smith?”

           Hearing Erwin’s name so suddenly on someone else’s lips, when he’s spent the last week or two trying not to think about him at all, is a bit of a shock. “I guess,” Levi replies, fumbling a careless shrug.

            “Not sure about him,” Gunda says darkly.

            “Yeah?” Levi asks. This time, it’s even harder to act as though he’s not extremely interested in whatever Gunda has to say next, and he hopes against hope that it doesn't show too much. Erwin’s visits haven’t made any trouble for anyone, commander or no, but Levi’s not overly eager to find out what might happen if Gunda finds out that he’s been keeping a secret of this size for so long now.

            “He doesn’t belong here,” Gunda says. “He doesn’t show it much, but you know he could do better than you if he wanted. Once or twice could be just curiosity, but I don’t know why he keeps coming back.”

            Levi sets aside the fact that he’s just been unnecessarily insulted for the second time in about two minutes, and thinks fast. The truth is, he’s been half-expecting a conversation like this for a while now. Erwin’s done a surprisingly good job of keeping a low profile, but a repeat customer who comes in the middle of the night, always neatly dressed and ready to pay whatever’s necessary without complaint, for Levi, of all people, is still something of a rarity.

            Levi still hasn’t completely made sense of Erwin himself, but at least the man’s handed him one ready-made, perfectly reasonable explanation. He’s pretty sure that Erwin wouldn’t be thrilled if he knew what Levi is about to say, but it’s going to get him off the hook as well as Levi, and client confidentiality has never been much of a concern for Levi, anyway, not for this kind of thing.

            “Well,” he says. “Smith’s got a few particular things he likes.”

            Gunda perks up. “Oh?”

            “He likes getting hurt,” Levi announces. “Any way he can get it. All I have to do is pinch him and he’s practically ready to blow right there.”  

            “Really?” Gunda looks sufficiently intrigued by this information, to Levi’s relief.

           “So, you know,” he continues. “He embarrassed, he doesn’t want to risk anyone he knows finding out, he thinks he’s being sneaky by coming all the way out here. Not that much of a mystery.”

           Gunda nods thoughtfully. “You must be doing good work, to keep him coming back so many times,” she comments, sounding a little impressed.

           “I guess so,” Levi agrees demurely. “Maybe I should start specializing.” He’s pretty sure that he’s not going to start making the things he does for Erwin a part of his regular repertoire anytime soon, but there’s no harm in giving Gunda something to consider the next time she wants to talk about how old and useless he supposedly is.

           “Well, that’s good,” Gunda says. “Very good, Levi. However.” The pleased look on her face fades, and she’s all business again. “That’s one customer.”

           “I’m getting plenty of money off of him,” Levi argues. “If he’s not visiting enough for you, maybe you and I could work things out…” He’s probably going to regret this, letting on exactly how generous Erwin can be, but losing a bit more of his earnings won’t be too bad a price to pay for getting Gunda off his back.

           No luck, anyway. “I’m not running a hotel, Levi. And even if I was, we’ll be back here again whenever Smith gets bored.”

           It’s crossed Levi’s mind, once or twice. He sighs. “Yeah.”

           “Look,” Gunda says suddenly, after a few seconds have passed in silence. “Do you want out? Is that it?”

           “Out?” It takes a moment for Levi to understand what she’s saying, and once he does, he’s thrown for a loop. Quitting – quitting _everything,_ not just this client or that brothel – has never even crossed his mind until now. As he sits with the idea now, it’s not seeming so bad at all. No more late nights, no more putting up with all kinds of men he wouldn’t spend thirty seconds around if he wasn’t getting money out of it, no more bruises or infections when a customer gets careless, or when Levi does, despite his best precautions.  

           No more Erwin Smith. Life would be a little more boring, maybe, but Levi could more than deal with that.

           “Don’t know,” he says. “I haven’t thought about it.”

           “You might want to,” Gunda suggests. “Nobody does this forever.”

           Levi nods, still thinking. What would he do, if he just walked away from everything? Go back to the streets, like being a teenager all over again? He’s completely lost track of everyone he knew back then, and starting over from scratch would be no easy task, especially when what little reputation he has now is nothing that would be any help at all. He’d start over someplace completely new, ideally, but where? Not to mention that if that kind of life was really such a good idea, Levi wouldn’t have ended up where he is now in the first place.

           “You could try open up your own place, even,” Gunda’s saying. “You’d be good at it, wouldn’t let the customers give you shit and wouldn’t let your kids get into trouble. I can tell.”

           Levi imagines ending up like her, growing old – really old – in yet another little room filled with useless shit in a pointless effort to make it feel less like a coffin, surrounded by debauchery and decay. “ _No_ ,” he says, a little more forcefully than is probably tactful.

           Gunda gives him a cool look. “So, what are you going to do?”

           Levi shrugs. “Stay here, I guess. Same as always.” It’s only for now, anyway. Gunda’s right about one thing – Levi won’t be here forever, no matter what he wants. Where he’ll be next is a question for a day far in the future when he doesn’t have enough other things on his mind already.

           “And you’ll work? Or at least _try_?”

           “I’ll try,” Levi says.

 

-

 

           Levi really does try, for the rest of that night and for many nights after that. When he still doesn’t have much luck downstairs, despite his best efforts, he branches out, hitting the same busy streets he had eyed the night he had run into Heino. It’s inconvenient – Levi might as well be operating completely on his own, for all the difference his ties to the brothel are making him now – but it pays off in the end. A little more than a week later, Levi’s got a decent handful of jobs under his belt again, and a couple of new customers steered in the direction of Gunda’s to boot. One time, he meets someone who’s a little too eager to rough him up past the point of what’s acceptable, and when his warning goes ignored, Levi breaks the man’s nose, takes his wallet while he’s on the ground, and calls it an excellent night.

            Word of the Survey Corps’ upcoming expedition has filtered out by now, and sometimes Levi catches a whispered rumor here and there. It’s never anything that's news to him, just the information that yes, there will be party going outside in a matter of days now, and as usual, many soldiers aren’t expected to make it back. There isn’t much said about Erwin in particular, either, except for the odd curse directed towards the man who’s responsible for leading so many to futile deaths.

            Levi’s long past pretending that he’s not curious about what Erwin’s doing, especially as enough time passes that the expedition could be happening any day, but he’s still aware that it’s a waste of time. There’s a possibility he might not see Erwin again, sure, and it might be because he’s dead, and it might be because coming to see Levi has gotten too risky, or too expensive, or too boring. There’s no more point in dwelling on it than there is in worrying about any of the countless other men Levi’s seen a few times and then never again.

           Levi fully intends not to have anything to do with Heino no matter how scarce customers get, but one thing leads to another, in the end. One night he runs into a guy who turns out to be one of Heino’s men – Levi’s the one who gets recognized, it’s not like he keeps tabs on who his customers run with – with an inferiority complex and a decided interest in screwing his boss’s favorite whore, as if that means anything. Levi doesn’t understand at all, but he can go with it. In the end, the man turns out to be somewhat more free with his money than Levi would have expected. Levi tells himself firmly not to overthink that particular stroke of luck. There’s all kinds of ways the man could have come by that money, ways that don’t have anything to do with guarded carts with inexplicable contents.  

           As he’s leaving the abandoned back room of the bar where he and the man had conducted their transaction, it becomes clear that Levi’s luck isn’t quite so good after all.

           “Levi!” Heino looks startled, and rather pleased.

           Levi grunts. There’s no way to make a quick exit smoothly – there’s no way he’s going to even look as if he’s running away from this asshole – but now that Heino’s firmly off the list of potential clients there’s no need to be friendly anymore.

           “Wasn’t expecting to run into you,” Heino continues. He looks Levi up and down, his expression of pleasant surprise fading a bit as he takes notice of Levi’s demeanor. “You’re looking…well.”

           The woman who had shoved Levi into the dirt the last time he and Heino crossed paths had left him with a black eye that hadn’t faded completely for weeks, and had had exactly the effect on Levi’s luck with customers that he had expected, not that Heino’s going to do shit to make up for that. Levi stays silent.

           “Look,” Heino drops his voice a notch. “I’m sorry about the other night.” He’s still in the way, and Levi’s about to tell him to fuck off right out when Heino adds, “I can explain.”

           The promise seems to hang in the air, enticing. Levi doesn’t feel like spending any amount of time around Heino right now, and he wouldn’t give a shit about anything he’s up to, no matter how unusual. _Except._    Now Levi’s last conversation with Erwin has been lurking in the back of his mind for days, his sudden interest in Levi and Heino’s side of the law and his strange questions. Erwin had been thinking of something different, surely – he had mentioned the _Walls_ , of all things – but it’s still enough to make Levi curious, at least. Just enough.

           “I’m busy later,” he says shortly. “I can stay for an hour, maybe.”

           “Oh,” Heino looks simultaneously relieved and a little nervous, if that’s possible. “Of course – of course you’re busy. It won’t take long, I promise.”

           He starts to guide Levi in the direction of a private room, one hand coming up to rest gingerly on Levi’s back. Levi decides to put up with it. Out of the corner of his eye he notices that his customer of less than an hour before has reappeared, eyeing Levi and his boss with a bit of trepidation. Men and their stupid dramas, every last one of them. It’s making Levi fucking tired. He doesn’t even bother to look at the man as Heino steers him by.

           “It’s all…complicated,” Heino says when it’s just the two of them in one of the back rooms – not the same one Levi had just been working out of, thankfully – with a couple of men left to guard the door. Whatever this business is seems to be just as critically secretive now as it had been back when Levi had gotten beaten over it a few weeks back. Heino’s either really overestimating how much most people worry about what someone like him does, or got something really big up his sleeve. The former is a lot more likely, but Levi’s not quite ready to relax yet, all the same.

           “So, what was all that the other night?” He catches himself just about to lick his lips at the memory of the strange sweetness. “With the berries?”

           Heino hesitates. Levi attempts what he hopes is a patient and unassuming look. At last, Heino clears his throat. “I’m always looking for...for new opportunities,” he begins. “You have to be resourceful, in my position.”

           Levi had been in the very same position once, not so long – okay, it’s a while ago now, but _once_ he had been like that, living day to day, always poised for an opportunity to grab, for the next idea to keep himself fed and friendly with the right people.   Heino should remember that.

 _Be patient_ , Levi thinks. He nods. “But fruit?” he can’t keep from asking. “That’s...different.”

           “That’s where the money is,” Heino corrects him. “How many times have you eaten something like that in your life before? I know the kind of people who will give me more money than you could get in a week for what I gave you that night.”

           It’s not too much of an exaggeration, Levi’s pretty sure. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a scarce luxury most of the time, and everybody knows that nobles are willing to spend more money on stupider shit.

           “It’s not just fruit, either,” Heino continues. “I’ve got some other stuff – herbs, you’d say, I guess – that’ll give you a good time, and they go for even more.”

           That makes even more sense. “So, where are you getting it all?” There’s some farmer out in the scant fields by Rose or Maria getting kept on a tight leash, or, more likely, receiving ludicrous amounts of bribes. Even the smallest grain of wheat is precious enough that the government doesn’t take kindly to field space being wasted on inedible drugs, or crops getting rerouted through the black market.

           Heino smiles, proud of himself, but there’s a shrewd look in his eye as he looks at Levi. “You’d like to know, I bet.”

           Levi shrugs. “Yeah. Sounds like a good deal.”

           “It is,” Heino agrees. He’s always loved to brag, and even though he hasn’t answered Levi’s question – Levi hadn’t really expected him to – Levi’s hopeful that if he can keep him talking, Heino won’t be able to keep from letting some more details of this weird new operation slip. It all still falls solidly into the category of customer shit that’s not worth worrying about, but what Heino’s describing is unusual enough that he can’t help but be a little curious.

           “I used to know a few people into that kind of business,” Levi muses. “Not the fruit, just the other stuff.”

           “It wasn’t like this,” Heino cuts in. “There’s nothing like this.”

           Well, okay then. Levi presses carefully on. “They always said it was too much of a pain in the ass, in the end,” he says. “Dealing with all the other people who have to get the goods to you in the first place.”

           “So you get your own people to handle everything,” Heino scoffs. “I’ve got eyes on every step of this. It’s not going to fail, not with the connections I’ve got.”

           Levi remembers the strange man he had seen Heino with during his visit long ago. One of the failproof connections, to be sure. But while he had noticed even then that the man hadn’t looked like a petty gangster, Levi doesn’t think he had looked at all like someone from the countryside either.

           “So, you’re a farmer now?” Levi can’t help but ask lazily. “Must be nice to get out of the city for a change.”

           “Maybe I’ll take you sometime, if you want,” Heino says. There’s a strange hint of a smile on his lips, as if there’s some kind of joke that Levi’s not in on.

           Levi doesn’t like that too much, and he likes the thought of getting fucked by Heino in some godforsaken muddy shack in the middle of nowhere even less. “No thanks.”

           “Are you sure?” Heino asks. “You couldn’t imagine something like this in your wildest dreams, I guarantee it.”

           “Somewhere like a farm?” Levi’s about to add something like _I think I’ll survive_ when suddenly Heino’s still-smirking face is replaced by the memory of another customer. Erwin standing by the door, dressed and cleaned up and staring at Levi as if to see right through him. _Have you heard anything about the Walls?_

 _No_ , he thinks immediately. There’s absolutely no _way_ that Heino’s hinting at anything like that, no way that there’s any connection between this and whatever Erwin had been trying to ask about the last time Levi had seen him. Levi’s been spending too much fucking time with Erwin on his mind, and it’s making him leap to ridiculous conclusions.

           But on the other hand, a shitty criminal like Heino getting involved in something outside the Walls – _How?_ – isn’t much more ridiculous than the idea of a shitty whore like Levi catching the eye of the commander of the Survey Corps, and here Levi is.

           “What do you mean?” Levi asks.

           “Somewhere beautiful,” Heino says with relish. “Lots of space. You’d never-“ He finally notices the way Levi’s expression and voice have changed despite his best efforts, and his mouth shuts like a trap, words dying instantly. There’s a new wariness in his eyes that makes Levi’s stomach twist. “What?” he asks suspiciously.

           “A place I can’t imagine in my wildest dreams?” Levi repeats. “For your…your _fruit_ and shit? What place is that?” As soon as the crazy thought had popped into his head, he had known how vital it is to tread carefully now, but he can’t help himself.

           “It’s nothing,” Heino says, frowning now. “It’s a normal place. I didn’t mean – I didn’t mean anything like whatever you’re thinking.”

           Heino is _awful_ at bluffing, even worse than Erwin. _I’m right_ , Levi thinks with dizzy certainty. _Oh fuck, I'm right._ He shouldn’t have let Heino bring him here, shouldn’t have had anything else to do with this operation after the night he had first stumbled across it. He still has no idea just how this all fits together, but he doesn’t want to find out at all.

           The half-formed scenarios running through his mind are bigger – a _lot_ bigger - than some black-market crops. Fucking around with the Walls, and whatever’s outside them, is miles away from any kind of normal shady business. Everyone’s heard the rumors – people _disappear,_ snatched up in secret by the King’s men, or by something else entirely. When Levi had been younger, some variation on getting taken to the top of one of the Walls and left there alone for the night – to face _what_ was always left ominously unclear – had been a common threat from angry adults.

           “What are you _doing?”_ Levi has to ask.

           Heino gulps, throat bobbing. His gaze swings to the door where his men wait outside. Levi finally remembers that he had come close to getting killed just for poking around at a cart a few weeks ago. He’s got some knives on him again now, at least, though his imagination doesn’t like the implications of killing anyone involved in whatever madness this is. The man he had seen Heino with so long ago hadn’t looked much like one to fuck with, whoever the hell he had been. Levi has absolutely no idea anymore.

           “Calm down,” Heino hisses, hands raised, even though it’s still just the two of them in the room and he looks just as jumpy as Levi feels right now.

           “Are you-” Levi can’t stop, whole body as tense with adrenaline as if a horde of soldiers with guns had just pushed the door in on them at that very second. He doesn’t want to know, but at the same time he has to know, has to test the tiny sliver of hope remaining that he might actually have the wrong idea about all of this. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

           “You don’t _know_.” Heino’s voice is turning cold, with just a hint of an unsteady edge to it. “You don’t understand anything about this.”

           “Okay,” Levi agrees. “Okay.” He wants to know and doesn't want to know so much all at the same time, but it’s time to pull back before Heino gets any more uneasy.

           For what feels like almost a full minute, neither of them say anything. “Shit,” Levi says at last. “That sounds…” He tries to come up with the best word, one true enough to sound convincing but not quite too true to the kind of things that are running through his mind at the moment. “Amazing,” he finishes.

           Heino nods slowly. There’s still no mistaking the fact that Levi’s gotten wind of too much too quickly, but Heino seems to be calming down a little bit, at least. “Yes,” he says, a little defensively. “It is.”

           “Good luck.” It's the only thing Levi can possibly think to say.

           “I don’t need luck,” Heino says. He doesn’t sound entirely sure. He’s got that much sense, at least. “It’s a whole new game,” he continues. “We’re – I’m the first person to ever do something like this.”

           The bit of the sky Levi can make out through the room’s one little window is pitch black. It’s solidly nighttime by now. Levi could probably snag another customer somewhere, if he really hits the streets. Being with almost any kind of man would be a lot more comfortable than being in this room, having this conversation, at the moment. Levi thinks of Heino’s people waiting for them outside. “Can I go?” he asks.

           “What?”

           “It’s late,” Levi says. “I told you, I’m busy. Can I leave?”

           Heino looks a little taken aback by the question, as if it’s only just occurring to him that letting Levi walk out of the room might be an unwise choice. He gives it some consideration, for just long enough that Levi starts to think seriously about what the best strategy will be if he ends up with several people trying to murder him shortly.

           “You know I like you, right, Levi?” Heino says carefully, after a bit. “I could buy anyone if I wanted, but you understand things, don’t you? You’ve been in my place a little bit, you know what it’s like.”

           Levi pushes back the urge to palm the knife hidden under his shirt – not yet, if he makes a move too soon it’ll really send things to shit – and tries to focus on just nodding a lot. “Yeah,” he says. “Sure I do.”

           “I trust you,” Heino says.  It's the second time recently that someone's stared at Levi so closely.  The hair on the back of his neck standing up again.

           “Trust me with what?” Levi asks. “I don’t know anything.”

           There’s another excruciating second where Heino just looks at him, and then to Levi’s relief, he grins. It’s not a very relaxed-looking grin, but it’s a definite step in the right direction, and Levi’s willing to take whatever he can get at this point. “That’s right,” Heino says.

           Levi swallows and nods again. “Okay, so, goodnight.” He turns towards the door, as quickly as he thinks he can get away with.

           “I’ll have you over again soon,” he hears Heino say almost cheerfully. “If I have the time.”

           “Okay, thank you, just let Gunda know what you want,” Levi replies, without thinking or taking a breath. The metal of the doorknob is refreshingly cool to the touch.

           He expects Heino to follow him out, whether to try to exchange a few more pleasantries or to double down on the importance of Levi keeping his mouth shut, but there’s no immediate movement behind him, and nobody outside tries to stop him when he doesn’t wait around. The couple of men hanging around outside the door – the one Levi had fucked earlier is nowhere to be seen now - give him a look, but it’s impossible to tell if they have any idea about the kind of things Heino and Levi have been discussing. Levi wonders if they even know much themselves. If Levi was in Heino’s place, he’d be careful how much he gave away even to his own people, with a crazy plan like…like whatever could even be possible here.  Levi really _doesn’t_ know anything. All he has are Heino’s reactions, and that could mean anything, it could even just be Levi’s mind making things seem like more than they are.   He’s a little jumpy these days, thanks to Commander Erwin fucking Smith and his secret visits and…

 _Anything about the Walls?_ The memory of Erwin’s voice floats into his mind, calm and steady, but unmistakably pointed. A question from someone who already has an idea that his answer is out there somewhere.

           Levi shakes his head, and shoves his hands in his pockets. He doesn’t have any place to go next, but he stalks off down the street as quickly as he can anyway, as if he’ll be able to leave the conversation with Heino and every little bit of strangeness leading up to it behind if he walks fast enough.  

           There are still plenty of people on the streets in some parts of the city, and that’s where Levi heads. He wants to disappear, wants to fade into the crowd where no one can ask him questions or get him involved in their weird, dangerous shit.

           He’s walked for a while, scarcely paying attention to how much time has passed or where he’s headed, when he starts to notice that the streets are starting to get rather crowded indeed, for a late hour in a part of town with nothing much in the way of attractions. He’s come up against one of the main roads in and out of the city, and people are thick on both sides, restless. Waiting.

           Levi wastes a few seconds trying to crane his head enough to see what’s going on – there’s nothing coming down the street just yet, at least nothing that Levi can make out with so many people in the way – before turning to one of the men standing next to him. “What is this?”

           The man doesn’t take notice until Levi gives him a nudge with his elbow, and then he finally glances around and down until he sees Levi staring up at him. “What?”

           “What’s going on?” Levi snaps. He’s got no patience left tonight, not anymore.

           The man gives Levi an irritated look of his own.

           “The Survey Corps is coming through,” he says, as if Levi’s stupid for needing to be told. “They’re returning from their expedition.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Heino really somehow involved in something outside the Walls? Does Erwin know anything about it? What's even going on? Will Levi ever get his life straightened out? Where has Erwin been for most of the chapter, even though this is supposedly an Eruri fic?? TUNE IN NEXT TIME. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to everyone who supported me for the last chapter! Have some Erwin.<3

           

            It takes almost another ten minutes before they appear. There are enough gawkers in Levi’s way that he can’t see much more than a little patch of the street right in front of him, but he can tell that the soldiers are drawing near long before they come into view. The sound of horse hooves and cartwheels is one hint, of course, but even more that, the thing that catches his attention is the silence that falls over the crowd bit by bit. If Levi was more superstitious he’d say that the air itself changes with the approach of the soldiers, heavy and electric like a summer storm.

            Finally, he can see them, a ragged band of men and women on horseback and on foot. Not many of them appear much older than Levi, and several look to be around the same age as the most dubious workers at Gunda’s – the newest recruits, Levi guesses. All of the soldiers, old or young, look numb and bone-tired.

            Their uniforms are grimy with dirt and, for a few, splashes of blood. Levi has to look closely before he can start to notice any actual injuries, though. At first it all looks like almost nothing, a few bruises and bandaged limbs here and there. Then Levi has enough sense to think about the chances of someone coming off the worse in a fight with a Titan and being in any condition to ride back home at all.

            Further down the road, some of the horses are pulling carts. Levi can see what are obviously weapons or other supplies stacked high in some of them, but the contents of one or two others aren’t so readily apparent. As Levi watches, a soldier riding alongside one of the mystery carts leans over, reaching down inside. Her mouth moves, unintelligible at such a distance. From inside the cart, another hand reaches up to clasp hers, slow and bloody. Levi’s stomach twists.

            Erwin’s there, suddenly. At first he’s just another blank-faced man on a horse, passing through the edge of Levi’s vision as he stares at the cart. It’s a few long seconds before Levi’s mind finally clicks the pieces into place – _big, blond, Survey Corps, know anyone like that?_ – and by then Erwin’s well on his way behind Levi.

            Levi scrambles to catch up, elbowing his way through the crowd until he’s almost even with Erwin again. The soldiers don't seem to be in any hurry, and Levi can keep up easily enough at a fast walk.

            Erwin doesn’t look injured, as far as Levi can tell, though he’s just as disheveled as the others. He’s sitting easy on his horse, reigns held loosely in his hands, but Levi can see the hard set of his jaw even at a distance. His brow is furrowed and his eyes are distant.

            For all that their interactions had been nothing but sex, for the most part, Levi had thought that he’d seen the real side of Erwin, the commander side, once or twice. Now he knows that he hadn’t seen anything.

            When he had first started to watch the soldiers, Levi had wondered what he would do when he saw Erwin. The idea of trying to catch his attention had always been unthinkably ridiculous, but what if Erwin noticed him anyway? Levi’s run into clients outside of work from time to time, of course, and usually everyone’s happy to ignore each other. But Erwin’s been so unusual and so ignorant of how these things are supposed to go every step of the way that who knows how he would react? What if _he_ acknowledged Levi, on some stupid, careless whim? Levi had been on edge just imagining it.

            But in the end, it turns out that Levi’s been worried over nothing. Erwin passes down the street without looking at anybody.

            Levi follows him for a few more minutes, aimlessly, before he comes to his senses enough to quit it. He’s not expecting anything – he doesn’t even know what he _would_ expect – and there’s no point in standing around staring with the others like he’s got nothing better to do. If he looks around, he could still get a customer before the night is over, another customer –

            Levi’s been so distracted by the returning soldiers that he’s managed to forget all about the rest of his evening so far, for a few minutes. Now it all crashes down onto his shoulders again. Heino’s half-confessed scheme, with nothing to it that Levi had wanted to hear about at _all_.

            He’s paralyzed for a moment as the whole thing runs through his mind again, feet bolted to the muddy ground with too many strangers breathing down the back of his neck. The last of the soldiers blur into big, drab movement as they pass in front of his unfocused eyes. Erwin’s long gone.

            That’s another thing, Levi finds himself thinking suddenly. It’s hardly the worst thing that could come of the mess with Heino, but things will get tricky in the future with Erwin, if he keeps asking hopeful questions about strange goings-on. Levi definitely knows a thing or two about that now.

            Erwin in the doorway after his last visit. Erwin plodding away on his horse not far down the road, face stony and worn.

            Levi chews at the inside of his cheek until the pain is sharp enough that he can think to move his feet again. He turns away from the main road with the first of the dispersing crowd – there’s nothing to see anymore – and starts on the quickest route back into familiar territory. He’s half a block from the brothel before he even remembers about trying to look for more work for the night.

-

            But working is out of the question anyway, of course. Levi’s upstairs with the door closed before anyone can speak to him. The only thing that sounds like a good idea at this point is sleep. He undresses quickly, throwing his clothing on the floor like it’s a living thing that he can hurt. The brothel is alive too, restless with the sounds of floors creaking and barely-heard conversations. It’s still early, too early, and while Levi’s not working tonight, the same can’t be said for anyone else. Levi lies rigid under the covers and grinds his teeth.

            After an indeterminable while the sounds begin to fade. Levi’s still awake. He stares at the ceiling in the darkness for so long that he’s seeing things on it, shadowy figures that stretch and move. The figures grow long, towering legs and gaping mouths full of mismatched teeth. Levi rolls over until he’s inhaling a mouthful of pillow.

            Hours go by, and then without warning someone knocks on Levi’s door. Levi’s sitting up in bed before half a second’s passed.

            “What?” he yells. As his tired eyes focus and his body recovers from the sudden shot of adrenaline he notices that there’s light filtering in through his curtains already.

            “Someone here for you.” Levi can recognize the voice as another one of the newer workers, sounding only half awake and not overly pleased about it. “Your regular.”

            Levi’s frozen again, memories of the shifty look in Heino’s eyes and the way Heino’s men had sized him up leaping to the front of his mind. “Which one?” he asks at last.

            “I don’t know. Tall, blond hair, nice clothes.”  

            Heino’s hair is brown. Levi experiences a wave of relief so startlingly intense that for a second it feels as if he might fall back down onto the bed.

            “Don’t know why he’s here _now_ ,” the voice on the other side of the door continues irritably. “I’ll tell him to get lost.”

            “No!” Levi calls quickly. “It’s fine. I – I’ll handle it, you don’t have to worry about anything.”

            The sound of grumbling fades harmlessly down the hall. Levi hauls himself out of bed and fishes his pants off the floor.

            He doesn’t run into anyone on his way downstairs. It’s definitely getting light outside, but there aren’t many early risers in Levi’s business, and he’s never appreciated that fact more than he does now.  

            Opening the door and finding Erwin is still rather startling, even after Levi’s been warned. Tonight – this morning – had been the last time Levi would have expected Erwin to stop by, after what he'd seen earlier. But there he is, out of uniform again and standing in front of the brothel as if he hasn’t been anywhere more exotic than the other side of the city for the past few weeks.

            “Good morning,” Erwin says. He gives Levi a smile, but it’s a small one, and there’s a hint of something else in his eyes. Maybe Levi would have missed it on another day, but he can still remember the look on Erwin’s face the last time he had seen him well enough to recognize its shadow now.

            “Morning,” Levi replies, blinking in the light of the just-risen sun.

            “A while ago, you said that mornings were a good time to stop by,” Erwin explains a little hesitantly. “I thought I’d - I’m sorry if I’ve bothered you.”

            “No,” Levi interrupts. “You haven’t. You want…” Levi has to work to string the right words together. He’s had no real sleep and it’s continuing to be possibly the strangest twelve hours or so of his entire life. “…to buy some time?”

            Erwin is silent for a moment. There’s a faint look of confusion on his face, as if he can’t quite believe what he’s doing. Levi gets the feeling.

            “Yes,” Erwin says at last. “I suppose I would.”

            “Okay,” Levi manages to answer. He’s finally getting to be alert enough that he can notice that his head is aching and his stomach feels like a poisonous stew of nerves and emptiness. “Great.”

            -

            “Are you sure this is all right?” Erwin asks quietly as they’re about to enter Levi’s room. Erwin hasn’t paid up front – there’s no one else around to take his money now, anyway – but Levi’s exponentially beyond giving a shit about things like that at the moment. “Are _you_ all right?”

            Levi stares up at him. “Yeah,” he says suspiciously. “Why?”

            “You look tired. I suppose you must be up late, with your…” Erwin seems to lose his nerve for the line of conversation he’s starting down, and lets the sentence trail off, gentlemanly vague. “Anyway. I should have given it more thought before coming to see you so early.”

            “ ‘S fine,” Levi assures him with bleary relief that Erwin hasn’t picked up on anything else. He pushes the door open.

            His room is a mess – clothes on the floor, blankets thrown back on the bed – and the mismatch of dim morning light filtering through the curtains and Erwin’s presence is making the whole thing feel a bit like an odd dream. Erwin takes off his own coat while Levi stands around in a useless daze.

            Erwin doesn’t make a move at first, just sits on the bed and watches Levi. Levi wonders what on earth he wants. The longer Levi looks at Erwin, the more he doesn’t look like a man ready for sex. Erwin looks tired, just as tired as Levi’s feeling now. It occurs to Levi that Erwin probably hasn’t gotten much sleep either.

            “So,” Levi asks at last, aimlessly starting to pick up and fold the clothing on the floor. “What can I do for you today?”

            Out of the corner of his eye he can see Erwin consider the question. It takes some time. “Well,” Erwin says finally. He’s trying to keep his voice light, but he doesn’t come close to fooling Levi. “Why don’t you come over here and sit with me, and we’ll start from there.”

            Levi sits. He isn’t sure at first if Erwin wants him on the bed or his lap or the floor or what, but in the end he ends up sitting side by side with Erwin, close enough that their arms are touching. Erwin still doesn’t start anything. This close, Levi can see that he hasn’t shaved.

            He hasn’t bathed since his return either, Levi’s pretty sure. Erwin smells, sweat and mud and something unfamiliar, smoky and acrid. Levi can fight the impulse to wrinkle his nose, but he can’t keep himself from imagining what kind of thing that smell might have come from.

            Levi brings one arm around to rub at Erwin’s shoulders, fingers pressing into the muscle. “How are you?” Levi doesn’t like making small talk with clients, and he’s no good at it either, but diving right in doesn’t seem like the right thing to do today.

            Erwin gives him a bemused look. “Fine,” he answers slowly, as if he’s waiting for a trick.

            Well, whatever. Nobody can say that Levi didn’t _try_ to be friendly, at least. He hooks his arm a little more firmly around Erwin, pulling their faces close enough that he can touch his lips lightly to Erwin’s mouth, Erwin’s stubbly jaw. Erwin swallows, and shifts against him restlessly.

            “It’s been a while,” Levi purrs. “I missed you.”

            Erwin turns his head to meet Levi for the next kiss, openmouthed and gentle. His hand comes up to cup the back of Levi’s head encouragingly. _That’s more like it_ , Levi thinks to himself, satisfied.

            “Did you really?” Erwin asks when they pull apart. He’s staring straight into Levi’s eyes with the same piercing look as when he had questioned Levi weeks before.

            Levi’s lips feel warm and tingly from Erwin’s. He can’t move them enough to shape words yet.

            Erwin smiles, excuses him. He suddenly swings his legs onto the bed, scooping Levi up and taking him with him so that Erwin ends up sprawled out on the bed with Levi pressed against him, held with both arms.

            Levi takes a deep breath, chest expanding against Erwin’s. Erwin’s still got his boots on, inconsiderately. Well, nothing to do now but deal with it later. Levi can deal with it all later. Levi’s head is still aching. He doesn’t even feel like trying to raise it for now. Erwin makes a half-hearted attempt at pulling his blanket over them.

            One of Erwin’s hands slides up his neck into his hair. Levi’s too drained to even shiver at the touch, but Erwin doesn’t seem to mind. He explores Levi’s body with his own, sliding one leg aimlessly between Levi’s and nuzzling at Levi’s temple. It doesn’t feel like he’s even hard. _Good_.   Levi doesn’t mind pulling something together for Erwin even though he’s feeling like shit, but the prospect of being able to ease into things is a welcome one.

            He’s not wearing a shirt – he hadn’t even bothered to put one on before answering the door – and Erwin seems to like that, spreading his hands wide over Levi’s bare skin as if he’s trying to get them all the way around his waist. Maybe on another day Levi would tease him for it – he’s not _that_ small, though Erwin wouldn’t be the first man to wish he was – but it doesn’t seem worth it for now.   Erwin’s body is thick with muscle and just soft enough. If his bed was like this on its own, Levi could have slept during the night, he’s sure of it.

            Too little communication is never a good thing, his lagging brain reminds him, even if it looks like the customer is happy with the way things are going. “You good?” Levi asks without lifting his head. His voice sounds groggy even to his own ears.

            “Yes.” Erwin doesn’t sound much better than Levi, which makes Levi feel a little better about what a half-assed job he’s been doing of paying attention to what Erwin might want him to do so far. “Is this all right?”

            “Your money,” Levi slurs, eyes closing.

            -

            He doesn’t really sleep like that either, in the end – that’s probably for the best – but some time later it occurs to Levi first that Erwin hasn’t moved in a while, and then that Levi feels a little more alive than he has all morning, and the ache inside his skull has faded into something much more tolerable. When he starts to sit up Erwin finally raises his head to look at him, eyes only half-open. Levi isn’t sure if Erwin’s been asleep or not. He had certainly looked as if he needed that more than anything else when he first showed up.

            Levi sits up in bed, biting back a yawn. “Hey.” He’s feeling refreshed enough to reach lazily back between Erwin’s legs, warming his hand around the soft bulge of his cock.

            Erwin raises his eyebrows, amused. He stretches. Levi can hear a few joints pop over the squeak of the mattress.

            Levi can’t resist teasing him, asking again. “What can I do for you?”

            He gets a smile in return, the most genuine one he’s seen all morning. Erwin sits up and reaches out to take Levi by the wrist. He lifts Levi’s hand off of him and down to the bed, as gently as if he’s trying to make up for it.

            Levi could raise his eyebrows too, now, but he doesn’t do it, and he doesn’t flex his fingers in Erwin’s warm grip either. He waits.

            “Actually,” Erwin says. “I think that’s enough for today. I have, ah, things to see to before long.” His face grows serious. “Work.”

            “Oh.” Levi can’t argue with that – he should have been expecting it already, really. Erwin will be busier today more than ever, surely. Levi can guess at how much there must be for him to do right after an expedition. The fact that he’s shown up at all is surprising. “Yeah. Of course.”

            He gets another small, appreciative smile.

            Levi expects Erwin to leave quickly, to have his coat on and be out the door in within a few minutes – Levi’s going to give sleeping another try as soon as he’s gone, he’s pretty sure – but a moment later Erwin has something else to say.

            “I’m sorry if this is a strange question,” he begins. Levi braces himself.

            “Would it be possible,” Erwin goes on brightly, “for me to wash up somewhere before I go?”

            Levi blinks. “Here?”

            “That would be good. Do you have a shower, or anything like that?”

            Erwin’s visited enough times to remember that there’s nothing more than a sink and a toilet in the little bathrooms like the one off of Levi’s room. It’s a comfortable brothel compared to a lot of places Levi knows about, but that much running water would be an impossible luxury. Instead, there’s one larger bathroom with a few showers set up for everyone to share. It’s messy and crowded when it’s not broken. It’s also, of course, not meant for guests.

            “Don’t you have your own?” Levi can’t stop himself from asking. It comes out a bit ruder than intended, but Erwin doesn’t seem to mind. “There’s nothing much here,” he explains. “For you.”  

            “I understand,” Erwin replies. “If I could just use what you – what all of you use, that would be fine.”

            Levi stares at him. If this is a joke, it’s a strange one, and Erwin’s carrying it on longer than he needs to. What kind of man asks for permission to bathe in a shabby whorehouse, especially one with the kind of money and power they both know Erwin has? _Levi_ doesn’t even like to use the showers, if he can get the chance to clean up somewhere else. Erwin probably has a bathtub at home that’s bigger than Levi’s bed.

            But on the other hand, the fact of the matter is that it’s still early, probably not even an hour after Erwin’s arrival. In other parts of the city, people with normal jobs are probably just sitting down to breakfast. In here, no one’s likely to be up and wanting a shower for a while yet.

            “I’d appreciate it very much,” Erwin persists, gentle and earnest. “I don't know if I’ll have a chance later, and I’ll only take a minute.” He falls silent for a second, before getting an idea. “There could even be something extra in it for you, if that would make a difference.”

            Levi doesn’t need any more of Erwin’s money, for fuck’s sake. He just needs Erwin and everyone else in his life to stop bringing new complications into his life, even for just a day or two. He still can’t hear any activity outside of his room, and the silence is making him fidgety. _What the hell_ , he thinks, resigned.

            “I’ll have to see if it’s going to work out,” he cautions Erwin. “But there might be something you could do. Maybe.”

            Erwin smiles again.

            -

            When Levi goes to check out the situation in the showers on his own, just to be careful, there turns out to be one person there after all. He’s close to leaving anyway, though, so Levi doesn’t feel bad at all about kicking him out, even though he’s the same newbie that had first alerted Levi to Erwin’s arrival.

            “Are you going to bring _him_ in here?” he asks, sounding aggrieved, after Levi informs him that the showers will be off-limits for at least the next twenty minutes or so. “No men in the shower, not even when it’s not busy, Levi.  Come on.”

            It’s not like Levi and Erwin will be using it for the typical thing – at least, Levi doesn’t think that’s the plan – but even if they were, it wouldn’t be anyone’s business. Levi’s put in his time here, he should be able to fuck his customers on the _roof_ if that’s what he wants.

            Back in his room, he finds that Erwin hasn’t thought the better of things one bit, of course.

            “Okay,” Levi declares. “Shower’s free. I’ll show you where.”

            Erwin nods, pleased. “Oh,” he adds, as an afterthought. “I found this, is it all right if I borrow it?”

            While Levi's been clearing the showers, Erwin's found his towel. It looks practically like a rag in his hands – Levi finds himself imagining Erwin’s own bathroom once more – but Levi always makes sure that it’s clean, and if Erwin wants anything better he can leave. The mental image of Erwin going through Levi’s room is another exasperation.

            But he’s in deep enough that he might as well go all the way, Levi supposes. “Fine,” he agrees shortly. Something else occurs to him. “You’re gonna want to bring soap too.”

-

            It’s a reflection of the kind of tact and self-control that must go into being a top player in the military, Levi’s pretty sure, that Erwin doesn’t bat an eye at the underwhelming state of the showers. Levi’s soap is good stuff, at least – all of the money he’s been getting off Erwin recently has taken care of that.

            Erwin lets Levi show him in, thanks him politely, and closes the door in his face, leaving Levi in a state of uncertainty in the hall. So Erwin really isn’t interested in anything but cleaning up right now, fair enough. What’s Levi supposed to do in the meantime? Going back to his room seems far too much like tempting fate – who knows what trouble Erwin might get into if he’s left on his own – but hanging around until he’s finished is boring, awkward, and unwarranted, really. It’s Levi’s shower, after all. It’s Levi’s customer.

            It takes about a minute of consideration until he comes to this conclusion, and then he pushes the door back open and enters without a warning. Erwin glances over at him, a little surprised. He’s gotten fully undressed, and his hand is poised on the faucet just as Levi arrives.

            Levi can’t help looking him over, just out of habit. Erwin’s just as well-built as he remembers, tall and strapping, with a dusting of hair from the stubble at his throat to his muscular calves. His cock hangs heavy between his legs, limp and pink.

            At first, Erwin looks at Levi as if he’s waiting for him to say something, but once he understands that Levi hasn’t come in for any particular purpose he turns his attention back to the shower, unbothered. Levi stands against the wall – the room is big enough that he won’t get wet, not with only one shower in use – and watches idly as the muscles in Erwin’s arm flex beneath his skin as he turns the faucet. It takes a little effort and a few seconds of waiting, but eventually water starts to pour, loud in the early morning stillness.

            Erwin goes about washing himself briskly, not made ashamed at all by Levi’s presence. Levi’s fancy soap is worked into a fine lather over his body, filling the room with its scent. There seems to be plenty of hot water – Erwin probably doesn’t appreciate his luck – and in minutes the air is thick and steamy.

            There’s no trace of Erwin’s last time with Levi – it’s been weeks, after all – but as Levi looks at Erwin he can see an odd new set of marks stretching across his chest and back, a line of skin rubbed raw and bruising in a few places. It takes a minute or two of puzzling before Levi realizes what it is. In here with light streaming in through the little window high on the wall and Erwin naked in front of him it’s dangerously easy to forget about everything else for a little while, but even Levi knows about the maneuvering gear that all soldiers use.

            Even with the opportunity to examine Erwin’s body so thoroughly, Levi can’t see any signs of injury more serious than that. It’s a bit surprising how genuinely relieved that makes him feel, but then again, Erwin’s always been a special case, and a very good customer at that. It’s good to know that he’ll be around for a little longer.

            The humidity in the room is like a sedative, and Levi’s going to fall asleep if he doesn’t do something. He ventures a little closer to Erwin, until stray drops of water are pelting his feet and legs. “Want me to wash your back?” he asks.  

            Erwin smiles, but shakes his head. “No, thank you. I’m almost finished.”

            Levi steps back again, a bit put out. His gaze wanders back to the marks on Erwin’s chest.

            “How was it?” he ventures after a moment.

            Erwin’s in the middle of splashing water onto his face. “What?” he asks distractedly a few seconds late.

            “You know,” Levi prods. “What you’ve been doing all this time.”

            Erwin’s expression grows serious, and for a while he doesn’t say anything, just reaches out to turn off the faucet in silence. At first Levi thinks that he might have overstepped, but when Erwin turns to face him once more he doesn’t look angry.

            “We can talk about it back in your room,” Erwin says. “Not here. Could you pass me that, please?”

            He points to the towel, lying out of the way with Erwin’s clothing in a corner near where Levi is. Levi hands it over to him, studying Erwin’s face. Erwin gives him a smile of gratitude, small and brief, and starts to dry himself.

            -

            “You wanted to hear about the expedition?” Erwin asks a little later. They’ve made it back to Levi’s room without incident. Erwin’s preparing to shave himself with Levi’s razor, a further excessive request that Levi’s letting go for today.

            “Yeah.” Erwin probably gets questions so often that he’s sick of it, but Levi can’t pretend that he’s not as curious as anyone else about what the Survey Corps does.

            Erwin makes an experimental first swipe with the razor, examining the results in Levi’s mirror. “It was successful, all things considered,” he says at last. “We were able to gather information that will improve our current maps of the area, and we observed some examples of what I’ve been told is rather rare Titan behavior.”

            A shiver runs down Levi’s spine. “Were there lots of Titans?” he asks, only half-conscious of how much he’s surely sounding like a brat begging for a story.

            “We had four separate encounters over the course of a day and a half outside,” Erwin answers patiently. “Only one Titan each time. Not so much, compared to some of our past expeditions.”

            Four Titans sounds like plenty to Levi. For the umpteenth time, he wonders at what strange turn of fate – he’s not quite ready to call it luck – has brought him here. Levi’s barely had the chance to pay attention to efforts to explore beyond the walls for most of his life, and now here he is with the leader of it all in his room, borrowing his razor and soap and explaining a barely-finished expedition as readily as if Levi’s one of his peers.

            “Did you have much trouble with the Titans?” Levi asks, feeling stupid immediately after the words leave his mouth. A memory of the bloody hand reaching out of the cart surfaces in his mind like rotting leaves floating in a puddle.

            Erwin’s silent for a moment. He’s already near finished shaving, solid fingers surprisingly nimble with the blade. Or maybe it’s not surprising, really, Levi thinks distantly. He waits for Erwin’s answer.

            “They all took some effort to kill,” Erwin says at last. Levi only has a few seconds to spend wondering what on earth _that_ means before Erwin adds matter-of-factly, “We lost seven soldiers, and two more have probably had their last expedition. I was told that the chances that they’ll survive are good, though.”

            Levi nods dully. _Seven_. It’s nothing like some of rumors he’s heard about the Survey Corps and their futile expeditions – Erwin will blithely kill off half his men at once if it means achieving even the flimsiest goal, according to some – but hearing the number like this, irrefutable, is still a jolt. Even when Levi had been in deep with the worst of the street gangs, anything that ended with that many people killed at once had been mercifully rare.

            “That’s not so much either,” Erwin says gently, as if Levi needs to be reassured. “As I said, the expedition was a success. I’m satisfied with it.”

            Levi doesn’t know what to say to that. Erwin wipes his newly clean-shaven face dry and rinses off Levi’s razor.

            “Anyway,” Erwin says at last, voice deliberately light. “You’ll see more of me again from now on, I think. After everything from this expedition gets wrapped up I won’t be quite as busy for a while.”

            Levi’s struggling to decide what to say to _that_ , torn between scorn – what, does Erwin think Levi’s been sitting around pining for him all this time? – and something more businesslike, when Erwin ducks down suddenly and pecks him on the cheek. His face is smooth and warm. He smells like Levi’s soap.

            “Was that bad?” Erwin says a second later, amused and a little sheepish as he studies the look on Levi’s face.

            “Save that for your wife,” Levi snaps at him, before he can think about being cool or businesslike at all. His face feels warm, he’s a little horrified to realize. None of Levi’s clients ever kiss him like that, they all understand that kind of thing won’t get them anywhere at all, but of course Erwin _would_ be the one man who wouldn’t get it, the weird fucker.

            “Excuse me,” Erwin apologizes. He looks as though he’s holding back a laugh, which is for his own good.

            When Erwin starts to take his wallet out, Levi cuts him off. “We didn’t do anything,” he says. “I don’t want it. I’m serious.”

            “It’s for your company.”

            “It’s not like I had anything else to do,” Levi replies. It’s not the strongest argument, but Levi’s in no mood to take Erwin’s money like the whole strange visit has been a normal job. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea for Erwin to think he can try this twice, for one thing.

            “Even an inn charges people to stay there and rest,” Erwin coaxes. “And bathe.”

            Levi gives him an incredulous look. “This isn’t an _inn_.”  

            For a second Erwin just looks back at him, and then, for once, he gives Levi a break. “All right,” he relents. He slides his wallet back into his pocket. “Next time.”

            “Fine.” Next time Erwin will come late at night, like normal, and Levi will let Erwin fuck him long enough to earn whatever Erwin wants to give him, and everything will be the way it should be. Levi’s looking forward to it.

            Erwin starts to put on his coat, and it occurs to Levi that unless he’s waiting until the very last second, Erwin hasn’t had any questions for him this time, nothing about unusual rumors or the Walls or whatever pointless shit Erwin had in mind the last time.

            Except, Levi can’t convince himself that it had been so pointless now, not when he’s spent most of the night with his conversation with Heino repeating over and over in his mind. He can’t tell himself that he’s reading too much into nothing, or that what Heino’s up to and what Erwin’s up to are sure to have nothing to do with each other at all. Levi can’t tell himself any of that, and it’s not because he hasn’t been trying very hard to do so for about half a day at this point.

            Whether or not to say anything to Erwin is another issue entirely. Levi might be working more or less on the right side of the law these days, but that doesn’t mean at all that he’s going to run and tell about all the things he still sees and hears. Levi would take even Heino over almost every single police officer he’s ever come in contact with.

            Erwin, though. He’s not police, and Levi’s a hell of a lot more impressed with him. If Levi did say something to Erwin, Erwin would take it seriously, he knows. Erwin’s diligent, if he was investigating something, he’d surely pay attention to even the most outlandish, half-baked idea, even one from someone like Levi. He’d study Levi while he talked, blue eyes piercing, and then he’d probably have questions to ask as well, in the calm, rational way that he had talked about his expedition.

            If Levi gives away whatever Heino’s planning, and word gets around, he’ll be in such deep shit that the conversation with Heino last night will seem like a relaxing chat between friends. That kind of reputation would be suicide, professionally and literally. It would be no joking matter even if the information in question was about something as mundane as robbery or a killing, and Levi’s got the deadly-certain suspicion that it’s something much bigger. Getting further involved in any way at all is an abysmally unwise idea.

            But Levi might already be in too far. Things have been escalating every time he crosses paths with Heino, and he’s nowhere near optimistic enough to believe that he’ll be let off the hook now. Even if Heino really wants nothing more than sex the next time, Levi can only imagine what new unwelcome detail the man’s sure to share. And all kinds of people have seen Levi with Heino lately, too. Some of them are sure to get bad ideas about him no matter how much he minds his own business. He’s got a nasty feeling that it might already not be a question of if he gets dragged into it all, only how.

            Erwin wouldn’t just leave him to fend for himself, Levi’s pretty sure, not knowingly. He might not appreciate just how precarious a position Levi would be putting himself in by helping him, but once Levi made it clear to him Erwin would be careful, wouldn’t let the wrong people learn where his information had come from. Levi’s definitely proven to Erwin that _he_ can be relied on by now. Erwin’s capable of returning the favor, he thinks. Erwin certainly has the power and resources to deal with whatever’s going on, not like Levi. Erwin would know what to do.

            “Erwin?” he says.

            Erwin looks at him, hand on the doorknob, door already cracked open. “Yes?” He still looks amused by the rejected kiss, by the rejected money. He looks as though, in this moment, he doesn’t have a care in the world. Levi could hate him for it out of sheer jealousy if he didn’t know the truth.

            “I have to go now,” Erwin says apologetically, when Levi doesn’t speak up immediately. “I still have lots to get done today. Thank you for letting me stop by under such odd circumstances, really.”

            “Oh,” Levi says weakly. “Yeah, go. Sorry.” Erwin’s busy, Erwin’s got plenty of things to occupy his mind beside the weird shit that Heino might be up to. Levi can tell him about it next time if it still seems important then, maybe.

            But something must show on Levi’s face, stupidly, because Erwin’s not out the door yet. His expression has changed. “What is it?” he asks.  

            Levi finds himself taking a deep breath. This must be a dream, surely. The last couple of months must have all been a dream.

            “Actually,” he says, as casually as he can manage. “There’s something you might be interested in.”

            Erwin pulls the door shut again, eyes on him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [A few notes for this chapter](http://the-naomin.tumblr.com/post/136053297354/a-few-misc-notes-for-the-reg-6) on tumblr.


	7. Chapter 7

           

            Erwin listens silently at first. His expression is unreadable, but he never takes his eyes off of Levi’s face for the entire time it takes Levi to tell his story, little by little at first – a certain client, some odd behavior, maybe it means something, but Levi doesn’t know, really – and eventually, when it becomes clear that Erwin’s still taking him seriously, the whole thing.

            When Levi’s finally done talking, Erwin has questions, and Levi answers them, until everything that Levi can remember of the events of the last several weeks is pried out into the open, along with some things that are nothing more than speculations on Levi’s part for now. Erwin takes it all in.

            “Well,” he says at last. “That’s…that’s quite amazing, Levi. I’m not sure what to say.”

            Levi can only nod. He’s more ready to go back to sleep now than ever before. There hadn’t been a whole lot to tell, when all’s said and done, but it feels as if he’s been talking for hours.

            Erwin’s silent again, thoughtful. Levi waits, feeling exhausted and simultaneously giddy and terrified at what he’s just done.

            “Will you be safe?” Erwin asks abruptly.

            “Safe?”

            “This man, Heino. How did he look when the two of you separated? If he decides later that he’s said too much, what will happen to you?”

            Levi hesitates for a slow moment, pushing through an uneasily large wave of gratitude and relief – Erwin’s first worry is about _him_ , fuck – and trying to come up with the right answer. “Don’t know,” he says at last, shrugging. It’s true enough. Levi’s spent a good portion of the last night coming up with all sorts of catastrophic scenarios, to be sure, but he’s known Heino for long enough that he’s not ready to expect the worst from him just yet. He hopes Heino feels the same way.

            “You could be in danger already,” Erwin says, brow furrowed.

            “You don’t know me,” Levi tells him. “I’m not so easy to mess around with.” That’s the truth as well, the whole truth. Levi’s not some stupid kid, and he hasn’t been working out of a bedroom his whole life either. He’s under no illusions about the level of shit he’s gotten himself into, but he’s got a little more up his sleeve than Erwin’s probably giving him credit for.

            The small smile Erwin gives him says _sure you are,_ but somehow it makes Levi feel a little better anyway.

            “All right.” Erwin’s manner changes, into something, Levi imagines, like the way he addresses his troops before an expedition. He claps one hand suddenly down onto Levi’s shoulder.

            “I have to go now,” Erwin says. “I’m going to tell some people what you told me – only people I trust absolutely,” he adds, as Levi opens his mouth. “And your name won’t come up anywhere. I swear it.”

            “What’s going on?” Levi manages to get in. “You know something, don’t you?”

            Erwin gives him a long, silent look. “I’ll make sure that the right people look into this,” he continues at last. “And that they handle anything dangerous that might be uncovered.”

            Levi can’t help but feel a little stung – he’s been sitting here spilling his guts to Erwin, and with no prestige or army to back him up – but he’s not really surprised. And all things considered, really, it should come as a relief that Erwin’s not as eager to drag him into the middle of things as Heino seems to be.

            “Be careful,” Erwin says. “Now, if Heino wants to see you again, I’m not sure if refusing is the safest option…”

            “I’ll meet him if he wants,” Levi interrupts. “I’ll tell you if I pick up anything else.”

            Erwin’s blue eyes are wide and luminous. “I don’t want to ask you to put yourself purposefully in any more danger, Levi,” he says slowly. “But yes, if you could tell me anything else you might hear…”

            “You got it,” Levi agrees numbly. In the back of his too-tired mind, he’s trying to guess how long it will be before he gets the chance to see Heino again and calculate whether or not he has enough money to get out of the city the second Erwin leaves at the same time.

            “Thank you, Levi,” Erwin says, so earnestly that Levi half-expects that Erwin’s going to embrace him. “I mean it. I understand what this means for you.”

            Levi’s not entirely sure about that, but he can’t muster up the will to argue about it now. “It’s fine. See you next time.”

            “We’ll talk again soon,” Erwin says. “I promise. Be careful, and keep your eyes open.”

            Before Levi can protest, there’s a wad of bills stuffed into his hands after all. _You annoying rich bastard_ , Levi thinks numbly. Levi doesn’t really know why he’s doing all this, but it sure as fuck hasn’t been because he’s looking for more _money_.

            For a second Levi has the sense that Erwin’s about to peck him on the cheek once more, but he has enough sense to restrain himself there, at least. Instead, he cups the side of Levi’s face in one hand. Levi’s skin feels hot and sensitive where Erwin’s touching him. He’s not entirely sure whether or not this is more acceptable than a kiss. Well, he’s going to be spending enough time having second thoughts about this morning already, he knows. One more thing to puzzle over can’t hurt. Erwin gives him an awkward little pat.

            “Thank you,” Erwin says again.

            It’s hardly the best send-off, for either an important customer or an officer you’ve just turned informant for, but all Levi can do is nod.

            Erwin turns away. The door clicks shut behind him.

            Levi just stands there for a while after he leaves, for far longer than what’s necessary to ensure that there’s no sound of Erwin running into trouble on the way out. His head feels like it’s made of wet cloth and the longer he stands around, the more his legs start to feel the same way. He climbs numbly back onto the bed, letting Erwin’s money scatter carelessly over the blankets, and even though it’s fully light outside and Levi has more to think about now than ever before, this time he’s out as soon as his head hits the pillow.

            

            When Levi next wakes up, sometime in the middle of the afternoon, it’s almost possible to imagine that the last twenty-four hours or so have been nothing more than an extremely unsettling dream, but one of the many things Levi’s come to know by this point in his life is that trying to push reality aside is a good way to wind up dead.

            The bed still smells like Erwin just a bit, like sweat and exhaustion and strange, foreign things. That could be Levi’s imagination too, though.

            Levi rolls over to lie on his back, a wad of Erwin’s unwanted money – one part of the morning’s events that’s definitely real – fisted idly in one hand. Working tonight is out of the question no matter whose eyebrows it raises. Levi’s had enough of his customers to last him for about a year, without even being fucked once.

            In some small, strange way, however, Levi finds that he’s not feeling quite so bad about the situation anymore. It’s the money making things a little more tolerable after all, maybe, or the fact that he’s gotten some sleep at last.

            If Erwin really has taken his story seriously, he’s surely started to take action already. Levi wonders if Erwin’s talked to anyone yet, if any of whatever Erwin does next will even have anything to do with Levi. He wonders how Erwin’s feeling now, wherever he is, and in the midst of everything Levi’s gotten himself wound up in, that question feels more unanswerable than anything.

            

            When a few days go by and the Walls are still solidly in place, and Levi hasn’t heard anything else from either Heino or Erwin, it becomes clear that there’s not much to do besides go on with life as normal. But he doesn’t believe for even a second that he’s seen the last of all this, so Levi starts to consider his options.

            Washing his hands of the whole thing and getting as far away from the city as possible is, as always, a tempting fantasy, but there had been enough problems with that idea back when Levi didn’t have people from both the streets and the highest ranks of the military with an eye on him. Now, it’s out of the question.

            He could try to turn that fact to his favor, seek protection from one of the people who have an interest in him these days. But Heino has the triple disadvantages of being annoying, being deep in shit Levi wants no part of, and being someone that Levi’s just sold out – it’s not that Levi doesn’t trust Erwin to keep a secret, necessarily, but he’s not stupid.

            Erwin. He could turn to Erwin, maybe, if Erwin decides to show up again anytime soon. He could tell Erwin that things are looking too dicey after all, ask him to get him out of here. Levi wouldn’t count on that from any other asshole in uniform in the whole city, but Erwin’s a special case.

            But as well-intentioned as Erwin is, the idea of turning to him for protection is strange and uncomfortable. And when the whole business is done with – _soon_ , Levi’s sincerely hoping – what would Levi do afterwards? There’s no way he’d be able to have a normal life again after switching sides so openly, unless Erwin would be willing to hand over enough money to get Levi started in the farthest possible city, possibly along with some kind of fake identity.

            There’s a third option, simpler and well-tested by experience. Levi can look out for himself.

            Late one afternoon, Levi goes for a walk. He’s lost track of how long it’s been since he last visited this place, but he can remember the way well enough. A long walk from the brothel, down a few alleyways, and though the back door of a building that would surely look abandoned to anyone not used to this part of the city, and he’s there. The selection of goods, judging from what’s left out to whet the appetite of potential customers, looks to be just as good as ever. Levi’s been in this city long enough to know where to look for just about anything, and any kind of weapon is particularly easy to find.

            The proprietor doesn’t complain when Levi enters, but he doesn’t stop watching Levi for even a second. Levi ignores him. He knows he doesn’t look quite like the usual customers this place gets, but he doesn’t look like trouble, either.

            The pistols, especially the ones that look as though they’ve been plucked brand-new from some military armory, are tantalizing, but impractical. Levi’s never been a great shot even at his best, and guns are too fiddly and too hard to conceal. A knife, one a little better than the relic he’s been relying on for countless years by now, will do the trick well enough.

            He’s looking around, on the verge of asking if there’s anything else for sale, when he sees it. It doesn’t look like much at first, just an odd tangle of leather and metal fastenings thrown carelessly inside a crate full of what appears to be mostly junk. Levi recognizes it immediately, though. The image of the returning soldiers limping slowly back down the street hasn’t left his mind yet.

            “I can get you gas canisters, too,” the man waiting behind announces suddenly, making Levi twitch. “It won’t be cheap, but you won’t be able to find them on your own, believe me.”

            Levi lets the maneuvering gear harness drop back into the crate. “No thanks.”

            He finds what he wants – a sturdy, shiny-new knife that’s flat enough to be easily concealed – parts with a chunk of the money Erwin had left him with in the morning, and leaves quickly.

            Things had almost clicked into place, for a few minutes. A new weapon for a new piece of dangerous business, nothing more. It had been like older times, simpler times. The harness had been reminder enough of where he is now, though.  

            Levi’s thoughts stay fixed on the present, for all the good it does him, all the way back to the brothel. The sun is starting to set by now, and everyone’s awake and getting ready for the night ahead. Levi’s ready to slip upstairs and take the night off again, but of course, nothing’s ever as simple as that.

            “You’re going out tonight,” Gunda says, snagging him as he walks through the back door. “You’ve got a request.”

            When Levi’s body tenses, he can feel the subtle weight of the knife that’s been hidden inside his shirt all the way back, new and familiar at the same time.

            “Got it,” he replies.

 

            No matter what kind of weird shit is going on, Heino is the same as ever. Levi meets him at the same place as the last time he went out for an actual session with Heino, over a month ago now. The place is emptier this evening – no erotic shows, not even that many patrons at all. Levi doesn’t like it, even though there’s no sign that it’s anything more suspicious than an early hour on a slow night, not yet, at least.

            “Levi!” Heino is doing a passable, but not perfect, job of hiding uneasiness. The men who are with him give Levi hard looks. They know about him, or they have an idea, at least.

            “Hey,” Levi drawls, with a little bit of extra bravado for Heino’s friends.

            Heino shoos the others out of the room, which Levi choses to take as a promising sign – he has no clue how this is going to play out, but if worst comes to worst he can almost certainly take Heino in a one-on-one fight. Neither of them say anything for a while. Heino looks Levi up and down, like he’s hoping that he’ll be able to understand where they’re at if he stares hard enough.

            “I didn’t know if you would come tonight,” he says at last.

            “Why not?” Levi asks lightly.

            “I’m sorry,” Heino continues slowly. He sounds as if he’s choosing his words just as carefully as Levi is. “I got…a little carried away last night.”

            Levi’s heard _that_ from a couple of other men before, if generally under slightly different circumstances. He usually replies with a quick punch to the nose or gut, or worse, depending on what the situation calls for. Something like that doesn’t seem entirely bad at the moment either, but he can’t, not now.

            “It was definitely…interesting,” he says instead.

            Heino, to his credit, doesn’t look totally convinced. “Have you talked to anyone?”

            “No,” Levi answers. “Of course not.”

            Heino gives him another look. Levi can feel the hair on the back of his neck starting to stand up – he knows he’s a pretty good liar, and there’s absolutely no way that Heino would actually suspect what it is Levi’s done, but _what if_? – but the examination only lasts a few seconds this time.

            “Knew you wouldn’t,” Heino says, almost proudly. “Like I told you. I know you know how it is, Levi. You know how to keep out of trouble.”

            Levi doesn’t know whether he feels like laughing or crying. He nods.

            Heino answers with a satisfied smile, before getting distracted by some inscrutable-looking documents spread in front of him on the room’s small table. Levi’s found him and his men in the middle of some kind of strategy session, clearly. Arranging the next midnight fruit delivery, or whatever the fuck.

            “So,” Levi prods, after a moment. “What’s going on?”

            Heino looks over as if he’s forgotten about Levi’s presence entirely. “What?”

            “What are you doing?” Levi asks. “I want to hear more.” Might as well have something interesting to talk about the next time Erwin visits, he figures. There’s no point in trying to go halfway with something like this, anyway.

            “Oh,” Heino says. “No. You don’t need to know more.” He doesn't sound nervous at all now, just so condescending that it makes Levi think briefly but wishfully about punching him after all.

            “I think I do, Heino,” he suggests through gritted teeth.

            Heino gives him a puzzled look. “It’s very dangerous work,” he explains. Levi’s suddenly reminded of Erwin, which only makes his mood worse. “You don’t want to get too wrapped up in this.”

            “It feels like I’m already wrapped up.” _You reckless, brainless asshole, dragging out all your shady shit in front of me for weeks and you get second thoughts_ now _?_ “And I know how things work, remember?” Levi reminds him. “Used to pull off some tricky jobs myself, back in the day.”

            “You were a kid, Levi.” Heino looks almost pitying. Levi crosses him off his list of customers permanently, for the third or fourth time, and concentrates white-knuckled on not doing violence. “I know you were in with the Ripper when he was big, but now-“

            “That’s-“ Levi bites the words back. Heino can’t possibly be serious, surely he knows that Kenny took off when Levi was fucking _ten_ , before had even gotten _started_ making his own reputation. _However._ It’s not the time for that _._ Corrections will have to be made later, for sure, but he can’t argue now, can’t lose focus.

            “Okay,” he says at last, trying something close to the cajoling tone that some of the workers at Gunda’s try on difficult customers, the one that irritates the shit out of Levi. “Maybe you’re right, I don’t know about work like this. Tell me about it?”

            Heino shakes his head. “Sorry, Levi. I’ll make sure that you stay out of this from now on.”

_If only_ , Levi thinks. Heino starts to tidy up the table, radiating newfound conscientiousness. Levi simmers. The knife under his arm feels as pointless as a wooden toy now.

            “So, why am I here?” Levi asks at last.

            Heino glances up at him once more, looking, again, as if Levi’s asked a startlingly odd question.

            “Just the usual,” he says. “Nothing complicated.”

            Levi had half-known things would end up this way ever since he first heard that Heino wanted to see him, had kept on knowing it, in the back of his mind, all the way through the conversation leading up to this moment. He and Heino aren’t friends, and they aren’t in this together. For a second, though, it still feels as if his feet have been kicked out from under him, as if something’s been snatched out of reach.

            Heino’s giving him a curious look. He’s finished clearing away the things on the table. “Well?”

            Levi could just walk out. He could leave Heino to jerk off into a fistful of his papers, if the man wants to mix sex and his own misguided dealings so badly – it’s what he _should_ do, in fact. Sina knows he was just swearing to himself that they were done, really done, in a rush of wounded pride only minutes ago. The possibility of some kind of repercussion doesn’t feel like much worth worrying about, either. Heino’s got plenty of faults, but he’s not the kind of man to try to force Levi to stay – and good fucking luck to him, if it did somehow come to that – and Levi’s pretty sure any interest that anyone around Heino has in him now doesn’t extend to whether or not Levi’s letting Heino fuck him.

            He could walk out and slink back to the brothel, not just without any new information, but without even any money from a job completed. Gunda’s sure to give him shit for it, after sending him off to a reliable customer herself. It won’t make her any happier when she sees that Levi doesn’t try pick up any other work, because Levi can already tell that’s out of the question for the night, no matter what. Levi could walk out of here, and sit in his room by himself with nothing to do for the rest of the night that’s hardly even begun yet.  

            Heino’s just standing there, waiting for Levi. There are all kinds of petty, useless things Levi wants to say, heavy and bitter on his tongue. Half of them don't even have anything to do with Heino. He swallows it all back, shrugs, and steps forward. 

 

            Roughly ten minutes in, Levi realizes that he’s made a good choice. It’s been a while since the last time he had actually done a real job with Heino, and Levi had almost forgotten how much Heino likes to talk.

            “There.” They’re making use of the table their own way now, Levi bent over with his shirt rucking up underneath his belly. “ _That_ ’s it, that’s nice. _Fuck_.”

            Levi bites back a grunt as Heino pushes inside of him. “You like that?” Heino pants behind him. “Hmm?”

            It’s the standard stuff. “Yeah,” Levi agrees when it’s clear that Heino expects an answer, nodding against the cool, unyielding wood.

            Heino starts to move against him. “Tell me.”

            Levi would sigh, if he wasn’t in the middle getting fucked rather vigorously into a table. He does roll his eyes, which Heino doesn’t seem to notice. Heino would pick _now_ , of all times, to demand a little more of a performance from Levi than usual. “Tell you?” Levi manages to ask.

            “Yeah,” Heino encourages, pressing down on Levi’s back with one hand – Levi has the unpleasant sensation of Heino’s sweaty palm dampening his shirt, a thought that he immediately does his best to put aside – and giving his hips another jolting thrust. “Do I feel good?”

            “Uh huh,” Levi’s _really_ not paying attention. He makes a half-hearted effort at concentrating enough to come up with some suitable babble – it shouldn’t even be difficult, Heino’s a perfectly all right fuck and he’s sure to eat up even the most uninspired compliments – but all Levi’s mind wants to focus on is the wrong kind of business: Has Erwin, or anyone working under his orders, tried to investigate Heino yet? Would it be worth it for Levi to hang around and try to cozy up to any of Heino’s men after he’s done here, in case they let anything useful slip? “Really good,” Levi finishes lamely.

            Heino’s movements slow. Levi can’t see his face like this, but he can imagine that Heino’s frowning a little. “Is that all?”

            How, in the name of every single fucking brick in all three of the fucking Walls, did Levi wind up here? “Yeah, you’re so good,” he snaps out. Hopefully, it’s passable as aroused impatience instead of just the regular kind, though Levi doesn’t really care at this point. “Really…really big. Really powerful. It’s great.”

            It’s enough to get Heino moving again, at least. “Powerful,” Levi hears him muse, almost as if he’s talking to himself. “Say my name.” Levi can hardly open his mouth before Heino corrects himself. “Call me….” There’s a searching pause. “Call me your lord,” Heino finishes at last.

            Well, okay, that’s new, but it gives Levi a direction to go in, at least. “My Lord,” Levi gasps obligingly. “Please, my Lord, harder.”

            “That’s it,” Heino grunts, picking up the pace. One of his hands strays a little too close to where the knife is still strapped beneath Levi’s shirt, until Levi shifts away as much as he can. It’s probably nothing to worry about – if Levi was in Heino’s place, he definitely wouldn’t be surprised to notice that the streetwise prostitute he’s hired was armed – but Levi’s not going to take any more risks than he needs to right now. Heino’s hand lands harmlessly on the table at Levi’s side. He’s not too close to being done yet, Levi’s pretty sure, but thankfully, he seems to be carried away enough that he won’t get picky about what Levi says again. Levi gives him a few more breathless _my Lord_ s for good measure.  

            “Who’s gonna do it?” Heino demands, leaning over Levi and making the table creak as he moves. “Who’s gonna show them all?”

            He doesn’t mind when Levi doesn’t answer immediately, and he doesn’t seem to notice that Levi’s stopped faking enthusiasm for the moment. This _is_ new, and it’s nothing that sounds like any kind of dirty talk Levi’s heard anywhere else.

            “You?” Levi answers at last. Too hesitant. He needs to keep this going. “ _You_ ,” he corrects himself quickly. “My Lord.”

            “We’re gonna play a pretty trick on those noble pigs,” Heino pants, approving. Levi knows that Heino’s not talking about the two of them. “ ‘S not just for those idiots with their death wishes and their fucking _wings_.”

            “Yeah,” Levi says feelingly, mind racing. “Yeah, screw the nobles. Screw the soldiers. They’re nothing.” Sina’s tits, he should have tried this in the first place.

            There’s silence for a second, broken only by the sound of Heino driving himself into Levi. Levi’s pretty sure that Heino’s nodding approvingly behind him. “You can do it,” Levi encourages carefully. He’s still not entirely sure what they’re talking about, and he’s wary of pushing his luck and making Heino realize that he’s telling Levi what he had refused to earlier, but he can’t resist giving him another nudge. “A man like you, you can get whatever you want.”

            “That’s right.” Heino presses so close that the edge of the table bites painfully into Levi’s hips. “That old fucker thinks he’s so important, but I won’t need him, not after long.”

            Levi itches with unanswered questions, but manages to hold his tongue and just nod along with everything Heino’s saying instead. There’s no conceivable seductive way to get at most of the details he wants to know now.

            “Gonna open it up, take what I want,” Heino continues. He punctuates this by reaching down to wrap one hand under Levi’s thigh and yank his leg up, thrusting still deeper where Levi’s spread even more open now. Levi manages to bite down on the inside of his cheek enough to smother a startled yelp – he’s not flexible enough for that kind of move, and it leaves him balancing uncomfortably with only one foot on the ground – and strains to hang onto Heino’s words, heart pounding.

            “No one’s gonna stop me. Go out there, do what I want, show them who’s man enough to get it done, who’s got enough money to own them all.”

            “Uh huh,” Levi’s vaguely aware that he’s sweating too by now, the side of his face cold and slick against the table. “You can do it, right? Go out there, outside-“ He stumbles over the words for a second as Heino adjusts the grip on his leg.

            “Outside the fucking Walls,” Heino finishes for him. “ _Fuck_ , yes.” He groans, deep and choked in the back of his throat, and goes still. After a few seconds, Levi’s aware of something drooling down the inside of his thigh.

            Levi’s heart is beating almost painfully, as if it’s pressing against the table with each beat. He pushes himself up bit by bit, carefully shifting Heino’s weight off of him. Heino lets Levi go without so much as a glance. He’s still hunched over the desk, breathless and distracted.

            Levi’s mind has never been clearer, alert and buzzing with energy. His legs feel as if they’re on the verge of giving out – he’s not sure if it’s the aftermath of the rough fuck, or nerves, or a combination – but in the end he can stay standing, which is good.  Work here is _definitely_ done for the night, and it’s time for Levi to leave.

            “Heino,” Levi hisses. When he has Heino’s attention – it takes a second – he presses, “My money?” It’s not really important to Levi at all now, but this has to stay a normal visit from Levi, a normal transaction. A man might say all kinds of odd things in the midst of passion, perhaps, but a whore like Levi wouldn’t take it seriously, of course, wouldn’t remember it later. That said, Levi’s not in the mood to leave and clean up and come back to face Heino after he’s sobered up.

            Heino pulls himself together enough to look for money, fumbling with his trousers as he does. There’s a hint of unease dawning in his eyes as he hands Levi his pay.

            “Thanks,” Levi says brightly. “Pleasure as always, Heino, see you next time.” _My Lord_ , he’s itching to add, but even alight with adrenaline and smugness as he is now, he knows that probably wouldn’t be the best choice. He grabs the money, gives Heino a nod, and makes a break for it.

            There’s a toilet – a disgusting one, but who’s surprised? – in the back of the place, and Levi makes a quick stop there on his way out. When he emerges a little while later, more or less in good enough shape for the walk back, he almost bumps into someone waiting outside. His first jumpy instinct is to reach for his knife – this is it, Heino’s finally made a sensible decision and Levi’s about to get murdered in a bathroom - but he manages to wait, barely. It gives him enough time to realize that number one, the man in front of him isn’t doing anything immediately threatening, and number two, he’s someone Levi’s seen before.

            “Excuse me,” the man with the too-nice boots Levi had seen weeks ago, the last time he visited Heino in this place, says when Levi doesn’t get out of the way, giving him a withering look.

            Levi stays where he is. “Who are you?” he asks bluntly. It’s safe enough, a question anyone would ask, he reasons to himself. This man, and two others that Levi can see lingering a short ways away, watching the interaction too intently to be uninvolved, don’t really blend in very well. There’s nothing that hints at an identity, but they’re all still a little overdressed, and not entirely comfortable with their surroundings. Levi would be suspicious even if he hadn’t seen their leader once already.

            The man’s expression darkens further. Levi commits him to memory: middle-aged, taller than Heino but not as tall as Erwin, glasses, average looks. Nothing’s likely to come of it, but if there’s even the slightest chance that he’s someone Erwin would know, Levi’s going to pass the information along. “I think…have I seen you before?” Levi presses.

            He’s trying to look as harmlessly oblivious as he possibly can – this is the kind of person who thinks all people in this part of the city are stupid, criminal riffraff, Levi can already tell, which makes the question of why he’s running around with _Heino_ of all people even more interesting – but the hard look the man’s giving him through his neatly polished glasses doesn’t weaken a bit. Without needing to be told, his friends come over to join them, crowding close enough to Levi to send a clear message.

            “What do you want?” the man asks shortly. Levi gets the feeling that he’s impatient, not just annoyed. Levi won’t be Heino’s last visitor this evening.

            “Just curious.” The guy on Levi’s left side looks like the result of some kind of truly unfortunate human-Titan crossbreeding experiment, tall and ugly with a nasty blankness in his eyes. When Levi was younger, he’d seen men like that break necks without so much as a frown for warning. They aren’t usually even let in the door at brothels, unless the owner _really_ doesn’t give a shit about safety or money or reputation. Levi can feel himself starting to sweat again, but he’s not quite ready to quit. “I think maybe we know the same guy, is all.”

            It’s clear that this is an insulting suggestion, but after a little consideration, Levi can actually see a hint of understanding in the man’s eyes. Some kind of imperceptible signal must pass between the man and the others, because a moment later Levi has a little more breathing room.

            “Ah,” the man with glasses says. “Yes. Heino’s whore.”

            Under different circumstances, Levi would have words, at the very least, for anyone who referred to him like that so casually, but for now he just nods. “Yeah. Do you come here often?” He tilts his head, gives the man a little smile. “Looking for some fun?” Why the fuck not, it’s worked once tonight already.

            But not twice, apparently. “Get out of my way,” the man orders, looking as if the only reason he hasn’t shoved Levi aside already is that he finds Levi too distasteful to touch with his bare hands.

            “What are you and Heino doing?” Levi asks. Anyone would ask a question like that, he’s pretty sure. It’s nothing too suspicious, not yet.

            The giant on Levi’s left reaches out to grab the back of Levi’s shirt in one wide hand. His fingers brush against the skin of Levi’s neck for a second. They’re cold and clammy like death, a million times worse than Heino’s sweaty hands. Levi hopes his shiver isn’t obvious. He doesn’t resist as he’s pulled to the side, the collar of his shirt pulled tight against his neck. The big creep takes his time loosening his grip.

            “I think,” the man with glasses says. “You should focus on your own business, not any of ours.”

            No one’s stopping Levi from backing in the direction of the door, not yet, at least. It’s definitely time to leave, he decides.

            He feels messy and sore – thanks, Heino – and his skin is still crawling from Titan Man’s touch, but he’ll remember the time, the place, every single one of their faces, every word that Heino said.

            “Right,” he agrees. “I will.”

 

            “…Three guys,” Levi continues, four days later. “Two of them are just for protection, I think. I’ve seen the other one with Heino before, do you remember when I first told you everything? No idea what his name is.”  

            Erwin nods, intent. “Did he talk to you?”

            “Not much.” Levi’s got his voice lowered, even though the night is well underway and there’s enough activity going on outside Levi’s room that any chance of being overheard is practically nonexistent. “He’s definitely involved, though. With this…this Wall thing.”

            Levi had started talking the second the door was safely closed behind them – it’s a good thing that Erwin’s come back to him so quickly, because Levi’s not sure if he would have been able to stand waiting too long – and Erwin had listened, just as carefully as the last time. When Levi had told him what Heino had said, Erwin had nodded thoughtfully, though he hadn’t looked particularly surprised.

            “I suspected something like this,” Erwin says later, when Levi’s finished his story. “You hear rumors of civilians trying to breach the walls from time to time, but this certainly sounds…complex.”

            “You really don’t know anything about the other guy?” Levi asks for the second time. “He’s the one you should really be looking into. I go back with Heino, a little bit, and he wouldn’t come up with something like this on his own.”

            Erwin is silent long enough for Levi to realize that he’s been telling one of the most powerful men in the military how to do his job, before shaking his head. “No, I’m afraid not. I’d like to learn more about him, too.”

            “Well, we’ll see,” Levi tells him. “I can’t promise anything, not if Heino gets too nervous. But maybe I can pick up a little more.”

            Erwin is silent for another long moment, looking at Levi with bemusement and something that looks a little like wonder. “That would be excellent, Levi,” he says at last. “Thank you for all your help. This is more progress than I’ve managed to make myself so far.”

            Erwin won’t tell Levi exactly what he’s been doing. He does promise, once again, that Levi’s name hasn’t been mentioned, and Levi’s pretty sure that he believes that, which is one thing to be pleased with. Another is the fact that Erwin looks much better than he had the last time Levi had seen him, sharp and refreshed. On the way upstairs, Erwin had cast a glance in the direction of the showers before giving Levi a knowing, almost mischievous look. For a brief, foolish second, Levi had almost asked him if he needed to wash up again.

            “It was nothing special,” Levi says. “I’m just telling you what happened to me.”

            Erwin smiles at him. It makes something in his chest twinge a little, along with something in his groin. Before Levi has to contemplate that very much, Erwin’s expression grows serious again. “You and Heino go back, you said. Are you all right with all this?”

            Levi blinks. “With what?”

            Erwin’s giving him one of his piercing looks. “Talking to me.”

            “Oh.” It’s a fair question. Levi would have never imagined doing something like this even a week earlier, and Heino’s not so bad, really, not someone Levi would normally want to go out of his way to interfere with.

            But there’s the nature of Heino’s current business to consider, and the fact that Levi had been halfway pulled into it already. And there’s Erwin.

            “It’s not like that,” Levi says. “We aren’t friends, and what he’s doing is no good for anybody. Don’t worry about me.”

            “I see,” Erwin says, voice steady and unreadable.

            “And,” Levi adds for good measure. “I’ve already talked to you. Even if I want to change my mind later, I’ll be dead if he finds out about this.”

            Erwin frowns. “Yes. You really need to be careful, Levi. All of these people know that you know something, at least. I’m not sure if you should be alone with them again.”

            “It’s _fine_.” How could someone who faced down Titans for a living be such a worrywart? “Like I said, I know Heino. I know how these things work. I’ll be okay.”   Erwin gives him one more steady look, before smiling again. “If you think so, I’ll trust your judgment.”

            “ _Good_ ,” Levi huffs. “I _like_ doing all this, seriously. I’ll make sure it gets done the right way.” The words slip out before he can consider them, but they’re undeniably true. Even after all the risks and indignities, when all was said and done Levi had left his encounter with Heino and his buddies feeling more alive than he has in almost as long as he can recall.  

            Erwin looks a little taken aback. Levi looks away, feeling stupidly self-conscious.

            “Well,” Erwin says at last. “Thank you, again. I’ll have to find some way to repay you-“

            “Don’t,” Levi interrupts heavily. “Don’t worry about any of that, just worry about taking care of this.”

            There’s just the hint of a smile on Erwin’s lips. “Understood.” He starts to get up from where they’d been sitting together on the bed. “I’ll consider everything you’ve given me, Levi,” he says. “You know I can’t tell you much, but I’ll let you know immediately if I do learn something I can share.”

            Levi’s nodding, feeling another little sting of disappointment, when something occurs to him. “You’re leaving?”

            “Yes. Unless there’s something else you haven’t told me yet?”

            It’s Levi’s turn to give Erwin a look. Erwin’s poised to leave, gazing at Levi curiously. He clearly hasn’t given this detail any thought at all. “You got here less than fifteen minutes ago,” Levi reminds him. “What did you pay for up front, an hour? If someone notices, it’ll look strange.”

            “Oh.” Erwin comes back to sit down on the bed. “You’re right. I didn’t even think of that.” He gives Levi a grateful look. “I should wait here a little longer.”

            “Just wait?” Levi ventures. They’ve got plenty of time to burn, after all.

            Erwin looks a little startled for a second, and then he smiles again.

          

            They fuck with Erwin on top this time, nothing too fancy. Erwin’s lost the awkwardness of the first time he took Levi like this – his very first visit – and he’s quick to get a rhythm going that has the bed knocking into the wall, the sound blending in with the rest of the debauched noises Levi can faintly hear from throughout the rest of the building.

            Levi’s got his arms wrapped around Erwin, his legs pulled so far apart that his thighs feel like they’re seconds away from cramping, but he doesn’t try to move them into a different position. Erwin goes deep, and Levi’s fingernails dig into the muscle of his shoulder, and they both groan.

            “All right?” Erwin asks, red-faced and breathless.

            “ _Fuck me_ ,” Levi hisses at him.

            Erwin actually has the nerve to _stop_ instead, but before Levi can ask what’s up Erwin’s flipped them both onto their sides, with Levi pulled tightly into the curve of Erwin’s body. Erwin goes slower now, lets Levi notice every centimeter of his cock as it goes in and out. Levi squirms restlessly. He wants to see Erwin’s face again. Levi’s own cock is bobbing against his stomach as Erwin fucks him, hard as a rock. He’d be jerking himself off now, customer or no, if Erwin’s arms weren’t trapping Levi’s own where they’re wrapped around his chest.

            Erwin’s nuzzling at his hair in much the same way he had when they had laid together during his last visit. Levi’s pretty sure he’d be trying to do even more if it wasn’t close to impossible for him to kiss Levi’s body and fuck him like this at the same time. Levi lets himself lie there, cocooned in Erwin’s body heat, Erwin’s scent – all expensive soap and aftershave mingling with sweat and sex, no mud or smoke today.

            Erwin comes with low, choked noise, but he doesn’t move except to let his softening cock slide out of Levi’s ass and in between his thighs instead, warm and sloppy. It’s gross, a little, but Levi’s not too worried about it. He’ll take Erwin into the showers again later, soap them both down until they’re dripping and slick. Or maybe in a minute, after they’ve both rested for a little, he’ll wipe Erwin off one slow stroke at a time, and then he can tug on Erwin’s hair while Erwin licks the inside of his thighs clean.

            Fuck, Levi _really_ wants to touch himself. He manages to work one arm free, but before he can do anything, Erwin gets there first, reaches down and wraps one big hand firmly but not quite tightly enough around his cock. Levi freezes, half from surprise – Erwin’s never touched him like this before, never even seemed interested in it – and half in an attempt to will himself out of coming right there.

            Erwin hesitates. His grip gets even looser, and Levi can feel his body tense a little bit. “Can I?”

            Under different circumstances, Levi would roll his eyes, scoff at Erwin for being so cautious when plenty of men like to see Levi finish for them, as a matter of fact, and though it’s not often something he has the patience for, he’ll allow it under the right conditions, with the right kind of customer, and a polite, handsome, well-paying man like Erwin is _certainly_ the right kind of customer, so there’s no need for him to act like he actually thinks Levi might say no, but…. But there’s no time for any of that, not now.

            “Yeah.” Levi’s own hand locks onto Erwin’s wrist, keeps him from moving away. “Do it, come _on_ , Smith.”

            Erwin’s mouth is still very close to Levi’s ear, so even in his supremely distracted state Levi can hear what almost sounds like a little chuckle. “ _Erwin_ ,” Levi hears him insist next, voice soft and warm.

            Before Levi can say anything, the hand on his cock starts to move, gripping him _just_ right so suddenly that Levi forgets whether he was about to correct himself, or complain that it’s not his fault if he can’t always remember what specific thing every man wants Levi to call him. Levi tries to make it go even faster, moving his body as much as he can with Erwin still slung all over him, not caring if he’s accidentally squeezing Erwin’s cock too much between his legs. When he catches his breath enough to speak again, all he does is curse.

            Erwin kisses the shell of Levi’s ear, body solid as a mountain at Levi’s back. His thumb brushes over the tip of Levi’s cock, blade-worn callouses teasing sensitive skin, and Levi comes just from that, gasping and spilling himself into Erwin’s hand again, and again, and again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long to get here, hope you enjoyed! I'm [on tumblr](http://the-naomin.tumblr.com), as always.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doing the chapter-splitting thing yet again! Thanks for your patience, as always.
> 
> Slight warning for brief mentions of coercive sex involving an age-unspecified but youngish character. (If you read the big wip excerpt I posted on tumblr a bit ago, you've already seen it.)

      

      Erwin gets up from the bed first. Levi listens to the sound of his footsteps, of the bathroom door opening and closing, without so much as rolling over. He’s still wiped out and for now the only thing that feels like it’s worth even _attempting_ to move for would be more of Erwin.

            Heino felt the same way, perhaps, after Levi finished with him earlier. The thought floats into Levi’s mind unbidden and unwelcome, cutting through the satisfied haze he’s drifting in. If Erwin had asked him anything earlier, whispered a question against the back of his neck while his hand worked over Levi’s cock, Levi might well have answered before he could think the better of it, might have left himself open and bare for Erwin ‘s inspection …

            Levi groans and turns his head until he’s facedown in the pillow, trying to smother the idea out of his head. Fuck, he really can’t enjoy _anything_ these days.

            “All right?” Erwin’s back, still naked and carrying a damp cloth in one hand. He sits down on the edge of the bed and moves as if to start wiping away the mess on Levi’s legs and stomach. Levi swats his hands away. There’s no recovering that brief carefree warmth now, and Levi can never go too long after sex before his sweaty, dirty state starts to nag at him even under the best of circumstances. _Time to get moving_. Levi hauls himself up and staggers to the bathroom.

            Erwin’s all dressed by the time Levi’s finished, but he doesn’t appear to be in much of a hurry to get out the door. He gives Levi a smile, looking him up and down with such a self-satisfied look in his eye that it’s a little unnerving.

            “How was that?” Erwin asks.

            Typical kind of customer with his head up his own ass, wanting an ego-boost as well as a fuck – though coming from Erwin, Levi could almost believe that it’s a serious question – but Levi finds that it doesn’t annoy him as much as it usually would. “Good,” he says, a bit shortly. His face feels unsettlingly warm. He turns away from Erwin and starts getting dressed himself.

            Just as Levi’s starting on his shirt, a realization flashes into his mind. His fingers freeze on the buttons, and the ember of satiated warmth that’s still glowing a deep inside his belly goes out in an instant. He gives his head a little shake and hurries to finish buttoning his shirt. He needs to be in full possession of as much dignity as he can scrape together before what’s coming next.

            When he turns around, Erwin’s still watching him with that pleased look on his face. Reproach curdles in Levi’s gut, along with a dangerous amount of hurt. For a split second, he finds himself feeling almost sympathetic towards Heino after all, even though it’s still not the same thing as what Levi had done – Erwin couldn’t pull off _that_ even if he tried, not on Levi.

            “Was that my reward?” Levi asks.

            Erwin blinks innocently, but at least his smile starts to fade as he notices the change in Levi’s demeanor. “Reward?”

            “You _know_ ,” Levi accuses. “What you said earlier, about - about _repaying_ me. For telling you all that stuff. Was that what – what all that was?’ He waves a shaky hand down at his body. He’s getting too angry, taking this too personally – his face feels embarrassingly hot - but he can’t help it. This feels almost as bad as getting brushed off by Heino. “I _told_ you, I’m not looking for anything extra,” Levi practically spits, cutting Erwin off before he can try to get in any excuses. “Especially not _that_.” What had Erwin been thinking as he touched Levi? _Throw the poor whore a bone for a job well done, let him enjoy himself for once_ , as if Levi’s life is so pitiful that he’ll be overjoyed by a mediocre handjob. Fuck him, the condescending asshole. Fuck Levi, for going along with it completely.

            “Don’t do that again,” Levi warns. “I’m serious. Understand?”

            “Levi, I-“

            “I’ll keep helping you out, I told you, but don’t-“

            “ _Levi_ ,” Erwin repeats, forcefully enough to make Levi pause for a second. Erwin’s brow is furrowed, but he looks concerned more than angry. “Levi, wait a second, please. Let me talk.”

            Half of Levi itches to keep chewing Erwin out just from sheer childish spite, but he’s not quite far gone enough to embarrass himself _that_ much. He waits, scowling up at Erwin.

            “I believe,” Erwin begins, each word slow and diplomatic. “There’s been a – a misunderstanding of some kind.”

            “Yeah?” Levi snaps.

            “You think that what I did earlier was meant as some kind of reward for you?” Erwin says, as if he’s feeling out the idea.

            “Well, wasn’t it?”

            “No.” _Erwin_ has the gall to look a little hurt now. “No, not at all, Levi. I wasn’t thinking about that in the slightest.”

            Levi studies his face suspiciously. Erwin _might_ be slick enough to try to deny it, perhaps, though there wouldn’t be much point in trying that now that Levi’s figured him out.

            “I’m sorry if I’ve…insulted you somehow,” Erwin continues. “Or if I’ve done something I shouldn’t have. It wasn’t my intention, I swear.”

            “What was your _intention_ , then?” Levi asks. The burst of wounded anger is already starting to drain from his body, leaving him feeling tired but just as humiliated as before. The sneaking suspicion that Erwin might be telling the truth isn’t helping.

            Erwin draws closer to him, looking a little bit as if he’s expecting Levi to lash out or shove him away, but when Levi doesn’t do anything except scowl, Erwin brings one hand up very slowly and tilts Levi’s chin up until their eyes meet. He’s got the intently serious look that Levi knows by heart by now. Levi shifts on his feet, but doesn’t pull away. His skin prickles.

            “I just wanted to touch you,” Erwin explains carefully. “I wanted it to be good for you, the way it is for me. That’s all I was thinking about, I promise. Did I do anything wrong?”

            It takes Levi a second to realize that it’s a real question. He drags his mind away from the warmth of Erwin’s fingers on his face, and pulls himself together. “No.” He’s calm enough now to say it like the unnecessarily obvious statement it is. “You asked me before, didn’t you?”

            Erwin’s brow creases a little, handsomely bemused. “That’s…good.” He lets his hand drift down to Levi’s shoulder. “For a second, I thought… I’m not sure I understand what this is about.”

            Rose and Sina, Levi’s made himself look like a fool, leaping to the worst conclusion when Erwin’s given him no reason to doubt him. It’s just typical Erwin, a little odd and still more considerate than he needs to be. “My mistake,” Levi mutters. “Sorry.”

            Erwin should hire himself out to the police, offer to just stand there and stare at suspects brought in for interrogation. Those eyes alone make Levi itch in a way that threats or even a beating never did back in the old days. “I don’t like it,” Levi finds himself explaining. “Work is one thing, but don’t…” He trails off, searching for the right words. “I don’t like not knowing what’s really going on,” Levi finishes at last, busying himself with stripping the bed. “And I don’t like surprises. If you ever want me to do anything, just ask me. That’s all.”

            When he catches a glimpse of Erwin over an armful of messy sheets, Erwin’s eyes are fond but his lips are quirked into something a little more bitter than a simple smile. “No surprises,” Erwin muses. “Can you really manage that, living like this?”

            “And whose fucking fault is that?” Levi asks rudely as he dumps the sheets in a corner. “Whose fault is that-“ He drops his voice, but keeps his tone pointed, “ _Commander?_ ”

            Erwin has enough grace to chuckle at that, and to look a little abashed. There’s nothing for him to do but stand around now – sex seems to be over for the evening, with both of them already dressed again, and it’s nearing time for Erwin to leave anyway – but Erwin stays, watching as Levi fusses restlessly around the room. Levi lets this go without comment. It’s not bad, really - a man hanging around to talk, taking his time, and after giving Levi his best orgasm of at least the last several months to boot. It feels almost natural, as absurd as that notion is for about a hundred reasons.

            “What did you do before this?” Erwin asks out of the blue. “How did you end up here?”

            Levi’s hands still on top of the soap he had been in the middle of aimlessly rearranging on a shelf on the far side of the room. “You don’t have to tell me anything,” Erwin adds quickly. “If you don’t want to.”

            Levi considers the question. It’s not that he doesn’t want to answer, actually – even though this is yet another imposition that not a lot of men who aren’t Erwin could get away with – but it’s a line of conversation that could get decidedly tricky. No matter how well things have gone so far, Levi’s not quite sure what will happen if someone in Erwin’s position knows too much about his life before he settled down for good in the brothels. It’s a lucky thing that Erwin hasn’t shown much interest in who Levi is until now.

            A faint memory of Erwin’s first visit stirs in Levi’s mind, makes him pause. “You must have heard some things about me, right?” he asks at last. “How did you know about me in the first place?” It’s a riddle that’s never been answered, even after all this time. Erwin doesn’t move in the same circles as any other man Levi’s ever seen, that’s more certain now than ever before.

            Erwin thinks over his answer for a bit before he speaks again, unsurprisingly. “This place is very well known, you’re probably aware,” he begins after a little while. “Especially if you’re looking for someplace quiet and discreet, not dangerous, but not the kind of place anyone would expect to see me either.”

            “It’s all right,” Levi shrugs. It’s more than all right, really - the best arrangement Levi’s ever found himself in by far, and Levi knows that Gunda’s reputation is as good with customers as it is with would-be prostitutes looking for a safe place to work. Good enough to reach the ear of even an impossibly important military leader, maybe, if he was looking for something a little different.    

            “And me?” he asks. “Am I well-known?”

            “Your name does come up, once you start looking into things. Your… experience, and skill, and...” Erwin trails off. Levi waits, one eyebrow raised. “Your personality,” Erwin finishes.

            Levi snorts, and even Erwin cracks a wry little smile. Erwin’s heard things a lot less delicately-put than _that_ , that’s for sure. It’s a wonder it hadn’t scared him off in the beginning – though for all Levi knows, with what Erwin’s into maybe that had been part of Levi’s appeal.

            “But I know you haven’t been doing this forever,” Erwin continues. “And that’s what I’m curious about. You’re being wasted here, that much is obvious.”

            Levi blinks, losing track of whatever he’d been on the verge of saying. He’d accuse Erwin of trying to misguidedly reward him again, with flattery, this time, if he hadn’t been looking right at Erwin, hadn’t seen the sincerity in his eyes.

            “I don’t know about _that_ ,” he manages to mutter at last, not quite as coolly dismissive as he’d like. “I was on the streets, for a while,” he explains, before the awkward moment can stretch on or Erwin can say anything else. “Since I was just a kid, really. Doing…all kinds of things, not like this.”  

            “A gang?” Erwin asks, with nothing more than mild curiosity.  

            He can tell Erwin a little bit, Levi thinks. He’s pretty sure Erwin won’t pry or stir up trouble – why would he, when Levi’s helping him, when it’s sure to look undeniably weird if the commander of the Survey Corps shows a sudden interest in investigating the history of some prostitute minding his own business in a brothel out in the part of the city nobody in uniform really gives a shit about?

            “I _ran_ the gang,” Levi can’t help correcting, almost adding, _and I did it while rich brats like you were probably still scared of the dark._ Can’t get carried away, no matter how good it feels to explain this to someone who’s _listening,_ who doesn’t know enough to write him off as a failure or a has-been.

            “Really?” Either this kind of thing is far enough from Survey Corps business that Erwin isn’t bothered at all about what Levi might have done in the past, or he knows so little about the streets that he really doesn’t have the slightest idea who Levi could be, or whether or not the kinds of things they’re talking about are even especially noteworthy in the first place. Either way, it’s encouraging.

            “Yeah. We did pretty well, too.” _Look into_ that _if you want_ , he almost brags, again, even though that’s a bad suggestion for a few different reasons. _You were a kid,_ he hears in the back of his mind, faint and unwelcome. “It was a little while ago,” Levi adds, even though Erwin hasn’t said anything. “But I had a _real_ reputation, in those days. The way things are now is nothing.”

            “So, what happened?” Erwin asks. “Why did you stop?”

            “Why did I stop?” Levi’s asked himself that question more than once, though it seems like there’s less and less of a point to it as time goes by. “I didn’t stop, really,” he says at last. “Not on purpose.”

            Erwin’s studying him, the indecipherable look on his face aggravating but familiar.

            “We never had anything to do with this stuff at first.” Levi’s still talking, for some reason. “But they go together often enough, whoring and any other shit you can think of. And I was younger then, and people would…make suggestions, sometimes.   And when there was something good in it for me, it made sense, you know? It was simple, compared to some of the other things we were doing to stay alive.”

            The encounter Levi always thinks of as the first time, years and years ago, had been with a stingy asshole of a black-market doctor, holding out for a price he knew very well was more than he deserved and more than Levi and his scrap of a crew could afford after one of Levi’s friends wound up with a bullet deep in his guts. Lucky that the man had a wandering eye, lucky that Levi had noticed it and taken advantage. The sex itself, an indeterminable period of impatient fumbling in a grimy back room, hadn’t been anything particularly memorable, though the doctor had liked it at least enough to hold up his end of the deal. A few weeks after Levi’s friend was well enough to walk around again, Levi had come back with another offer, with a bit of money on the line this time. The doctor had been eager to take him up on it, so eager that Levi’s crew had plenty of time to trash his makeshift office and take off with everything valuable and easy to carry while the doctor and Levi were occupied. Not one of Levi’s happiest customers, in the end, but a job to be proud of all the same.

            “It just started to happen more and more as time went on,” It sounds ridiculous like this, like he’d been just as clueless as one of the new kids downstairs – he had been, really, some of the shit he’d only narrowly avoided when he was younger seems unbelievable now – but that’s the way things had happened. One job, and then another. Short-lived arrangements with people who could send customers his way, once or twice short stays in places that Levi hadn’t called brothels, not yet. “It was always easy money, and it was never a big deal, really. And then one winter things really went to shit for us, and almost everyone who was still around started looking for something new anyway, and I thought… It seemed like a good option, at the time.”

            Erwin says nothing, brow furrowed, eyes fixed on Levi as unflinchingly as if he’s made of stone.

            “And it was good, clearly, so here I am,” Levi finishes quickly.

            Erwin’s still silent, thoughtful.

            “How did _you_ get into _your_ job?” Levi demands, a sudden, overwhelming, need to have Erwin talk for a change making him bold.

            It does the trick, for a second. Erwin looks a little taken aback, and his mouth falls open, but before he can get a word out he’s interrupted by a heavy knock on the door.

            “One hour!” someone yells from outside.

            Levi’s about to tell them to go fuck themselves, but Erwin reacts first. “All right,” he calls back, without missing a beat. “I’m just leaving.” He starts to reach for his jacket.

            “You’re _leaving_?” Levi repeats incredulously.

            “My time’s up,” Erwin answers. Before Levi can say anything else, he adds, “I’ll see what I can do with the information you gave me first thing tomorrow.”

            Right. It’s plenty late by now, and Erwin’s got his work to take care of. So does Levi, really. Levi holds his tongue, and Erwin quickly finishes getting ready to go.

            “I’ll see you again soon,” Erwin promises just before he walks out the door. “Very soon. Wait for me, and stay safe.”

            It’s as if he hadn’t even been listening to Levi earlier – with Levi’s history, it’s hardly necessary for someone like Erwin to be fussing over his safety – but Levi ends up not saying anything to correct him, and not doing anything about the quick, light kiss Erwin presses to his forehead either. It’s been a tiring night.

 

-

 

            Early in the evening a scant two days later, Levi’s lingering in his room, still deciding whether or not he feels like going after some work for the night, when someone comes looking for him.

            “There’s one downstairs asking for you.” The messenger sticking her head into his room is one of the girls this time.

            Levi perks up. “Yeah?” _Very soon_ , Erwin had said, but this is even quicker than Levi had expected, and not his usual time as well. Erwin must have something new to discuss, something good. “Well, send him up.”

            The girl’s still hanging around, giving him a look that’s just odd enough to twist Levi’s stomach into a knot. “You should probably come down.”

            Levi’s past her and on the stairs before she can say anything else. Time seems to move torturously slowly. At the same time, Levi’s overwhelmed with the thought that he’s in too much of a hurry - he needs to be natural, can’t look like he has anything to be nervous about. As long as he stays calm, he surely has a chance of talking his way out of whatever’s waiting for him downstairs, whatever’s happened with Erwin.

            But in the end, it’s not Erwin at all.

            The big man from the other night – Titan Man, the bodyguard, the one who’d set Levi’s skin crawling the second he laid eyes on him – is waiting for Levi. When he sees him, his face doesn’t change at all.

            “Levi?” Gunda is there too, eyebrows raised. She knows something’s off, it’s obvious – hell, just about everyone downstairs probably knows that much. Heino’s friend – his friend’s friend, whatever the fuck - makes Erwin look like an absolutely shining example of tact and inconspicuousness, standing there at the foot of the stairs with no regard whatsoever for the way people are leaving space around him. All he does is stare blankly up at Levi.

            “Someone for you,” Gunda nudges. Levi’s still partway up the stairs, hand white-knuckled on the bannister. The knot in his stomach has turned to a block of ice.

            “I’m busy,” Levi manages to grind out.

            The lie is obvious – Levi’s slipped back into the habit of doing as little work as he can get away with, though he’s avoided any more conversations about it so far – but Gunda doesn’t argue. She’s giving Levi an urgent, questioning look. One man slips outside behind them, the sound of the door falling shut after him practically echoing in the silence that’s fallen over the room. Titan Man doesn’t so much as blink.

            Levi swallows, mind racing. There are options, normally, if an unwelcome customer is making a nuisance of himself. One of those options is Levi, actually, and Gunda knows people of her own that she can call in if even more intimidation is necessary. They’re good enough for the kind of trouble this place usually sees, but Levi can already tell that this man is in another category all together. Even most of the other customers still hanging around look as though they’re weighing the odds that somebody’s about to get murdered.

            Everyone’s waiting for Levi. _Deal with this?_ Gunda’s eyes are half-ordering, half-pleading. Titan Man’s dead-fish eyes don’t give away anything at all.

            Okay. Maybe Levi should have expected this, really. Only a few days ago he’d been bragging to Erwin about his old life, and now here he is knocked speechless by the fact that someone he’s gotten mixed up with has come looking for him, when it’s not like he’s at all difficult to find. Heino could have drawn this guy a fucking _map_ , for all Levi knows.

            And Levi’s got knives up in his room, his old ones as well as the one he’s still never had to use so far, and it’ll be far better to take care of this privately than to risk dragging everyting out in front of Gunda and the rest of them. Levi can definitely handle this alone.

            “C’mon,” he mutters, more out of habit than because he thinks the creepy asshole actually needs an invitation. He turns around and heads back up towards his room. The only sound is the creak of heavy footsteps starting up the stairs behind him.

            By the time his door closes behind them, Levi’s had a chance to cool down. He’s ready for anything now, but he still doesn’t any idea about what’s actually going on. His guest ambles to the center of the room without a word, and then he just stands there.

            Levi watches him, glaring. The man’s eyes are at least as piercing as Erwin’s are, and it takes conscious effort not to shiver at the sensation of being examined so closely.

            It occurs to Levi in a wave of disgust that maybe there’s no agenda after all, maybe this man is just here for some of what Levi had offered his boss the last time they’ve met. If he tries to lay a finger on Levi, Levi really will kill him, no matter what will come of it. Even Levi has a limit, a real limit.

            But the man doesn’t give any sign that he’s interested in sex, or in much of anything. After a while, he finally takes his gaze off of Levi and starts to look the room over. He still hasn’t said a fucking word.

            “Did Heino send you?” Levi can’t help demanding at last.

            The man glances over to him again for one slow moment, and then goes back to examining the room, as if Levi’s presence means so little to him that even the water stain on the ceiling is more attention-worthy.

            “What do you want?” Levi’s getting rattled again, letting himself be unnerved by this weird, mute lug, even though he knows that’s exactly the point.

            Not even a glance this time.

            Levi waits, twitchy with useless adrenaline, as the big man leisurely studies his surroundings. After a few minutes he even starts to move, strolling from one side of the room to the other and peering into the cabinet where Levi keeps his personal things, even into Levi’s bathroom. Levi doesn’t try to stop him – he hasn’t bought anything too suspicious with all his money from Erwin, luckily, and the money itself is stowed somewhere that won’t be discovered without a much more meticulous search - but the silent investigation stretches his nerves for each minute that it drags on.

            There’s a row of windows on one wall in Levi’s room - one of the perks of seniority, not that it’s much of a view. At one point, Titan Man moseys over and pulls the thick curtain aside a little, peering down onto the street below. He’s tall enough that he has to hunch down a little bit to see out the window.

            Levi’s about to snap something at him again, for all the good it’s likely to do, when it occurs to him that the man looks very much as if he’s waiting for something, or someone. Levi’s mouth goes shut again without a word.

            As if he’s reading Levi’s mind, Titan Man chooses the same moment to glance over at him again for the first time in a while. There’s something a little more significant in the long wordless look he gives Levi this time.   It could just be Levi’s imagination. It could be.  

            “I haven’t said anything,” Levi argues against the silence. “To _anyone_. Tell your boss to ask Heino about me, he’ll tell you I'm okay.”

            No answer.

            “I don’t even know what this is all about,” Levi begins, before deciding that line of defense is an insultingly obvious lie at this point. “I did _not talk_ to _anyone_ ,” he ends up repeating instead. His heart’s picking up speed inside his chest. It’s too soon for Erwin to stop by again tonight, he tries to reassure himself. Far too soon, no matter what Erwin had promised earlier.

            Titan Man turns his attention back to the street outside. He looks almost bored.  

            “Look, we’ll both save a lot of time if you just fucking tell me what you want.”

            It’s the wrong approach, because in the end, time doesn’t seem to be much of a concern for Titan Man at all. He stays in Levi’s room for hours, until long after the last customer’s left and the brothel has gone dead, without ever saying a single word.

 

-

 

            “What was _that_ about?” Gunda asks, appearing in Levi’s room as soon as Titan Man had finally lurched out the door. Levi’s not clearly not the only one whose been kept up late, though he’s not sure whether he feels appreciative or resentful about that. Gunda could have _tried_ to help him out a little more, could at least have checked to make sure he was even still alive a little earlier.

            “Fuck if I know.” One thing Levi definitely does feel is shitty. He’d sat down on the bed eventually, but more than that had been out of the question, even as the evening had passed with Titan Man barely paying him any attention at all for much of the time, and now he’s as exhausted as he is confused. The one relief is that there’s been no sign of Erwin at all.

            “What did he want?” Gunda continues. “Nothing rough? Nobody said they heard anything.”

            “I don’t know,” Levi says again. Sina’s tits, he just wants to sleep, if that’s even going to be possible for the rest of the night. He wants Erwin again, wants a warm, sturdy body to share his bed. “He didn’t want to do anything. He just stood there.”

            “What?” Gunda frowns. “What did he want?” When Levi doesn’t answer, she adds, “He wasn’t looking for something, was he?”

            “Like what?” Levi’s too worn out to sound nervous even if he wanted to at this point.

            “You know,” Gunda says darkly. “Police, maybe, trying to see if he can sniff out anything good here. Maybe he heard something about you…?”

            “What?” Luckily, Levi’s too worn out to sound quite as incredulous as he feels either. “No,” he answers quickly. “ _Definitely_ not.”

            “You’re sure?”

            “Did you _see_ him?” Levi argues blearily. “There’s no way he…” Gunda’s giving him a look, one that’s a little too searching for Levi’s comfort. “Look, I know why he was here,” Levi admits at last.

            The look on Gunda’s face doesn’t soften in the least. “Why?”

            Levi _really_ doesn’t want to draw this conversation out, not now, but he can say this much, and it won’t even be a lie. “Heino,” Levi says. “He was cutting some kind of deal, the last time he called me over, and I saw some things, and I guess some people got worried. That’s it.”

            “What kind of deal?”

            “I don’t even want to know,” Levi says heavily. “Been thinking of dropping him, actually, just because of shit like this.”

            Gunda nods approvingly. “That’s no good, getting you and I mixed up in whatever he’s doing-“

            “ _Exactly_.”

            “And the one who was here just now?” Gunda asks. “ _Was_ there anything for him to worry about?”

            “No,” Levi answers quickly. “Absolutely not. We’ll probably never see him again.” The last part’s the first really untrue thing Levi’s said so far, but he can’t consider that, not right now.

            “He did pay, at least,” Gunda says, mercifully changing the subject. “I’ll be taking out enough to cover the customers we lost because of him as well, by the way.”

            “Sure.” Levi’s in no mood to argue now, and that man’s slimy money is the last thing he wants, anyway.

            “Good,” Gunda nods, satisfied. “So it’s all worked out, this time. I don’t want a repeat, though, Levi. Make sure Heino’s clear on that.”

            “Definitely,” Levi agrees wholeheartedly.

 

-

 

            Levi’s able to sleep for at least a few hours, in the end, only to wake up alert enough to be able to fully appreciate the new set of problems he has. Heino’s fancy friend with the glasses, the one who’s definitely some kind of key player in all this, has his eye on Levi, and wants Levi to know it. It’s apparently been decided that there’s no harm in letting him live, for now, but that could change at any time. And then there’s the way Levi’s visitor had looked out the window the night before, as if somehow he _knew_ something – Levi doesn’t want to be in that position twice.

            Erwin can’t come here again. Levi could get someone else dropping in to check up at him any day, for all he knows, maybe someone with a mind to do a lot more than just stand around and stare. Maybe someone’s watching him even now, watching who comes and goes at the brothel.

            Erwin _will_ come again. He’d promised – promised to see Levi _soon_ , in fact. He could show up tonight, or the next, oblivious, and even though nobody’s given Levi’s newest regular customer a second glance so far, Heino’s friends might take a little more interest. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.

_Unless…_

            The thought seems so ridiculous that Levi waves it aside completely when it first pops into his head. He can’t get in touch with _Erwin_ , not on his own, not before Erwin decides to pay his next visit to Levi. Levi spends several hours of the morning thinking over the safest way to handle things when Erwin shows up, but nothing’s good, not as safe as it would be if Erwin’s never there in the first place.

            Fine, what _if_ he tried to contact Erwin? The idea of sending some kind of message, a note, or whatever – _urgent letter for Commander Erwin Smith from Levi Ackerman, former thief and current underperforming prostitute -_ is both so ludicrous and so easy to go wrong that Levi can’t even imagine doing it, but the possibility of actually reaching Erwin himself, face to face, doesn’t seem any more likely. He doesn’t even know where Erwin _is._

 _Come on, it’s not like military buildings are a secret,_ a small, rebellious voice in the back of his mind whispers. _You could find where the Survey Corps does its business in the city in no time, if you wanted to._

            And then what? Like Levi can just stroll in and flag down the first soldier he sees, excuse me, urgent message for Commander Erwin Smith, all that?

 _You could figure something out_ , the small voice insists. It sounds like himself, Levi realizes, maybe ten years younger and not particularly impressed. _This is_ nothing _compared to some of the other shit you’ve pulled off before. Or have you forgotten how to do that?_

            Levi’s not entirely as confident as he’d like to be about the answer to that question, but early in the afternoon he sets out anyway.

 

-

 

            One thing that Levi definitely hasn’t forgotten over the years is to how to keep an eye out for someone following him, but in the end that doesn’t seem to be an issue. Just in case, he spends a good two hours weaving pointlessly through the streets and in and out of various shops before he finally starts trying to work out how to get to Erwin.

            The Survey Corps’ base in the city is easy to find, sure enough. It’s not much of a walk from the part of town he’s already wandered into – only maybe twenty minutes go by before he notices that he’s passing a few more people in uniform than usual, and then he’s there. It’s a nondescript cluster of buildings that blend in well with the rest of the neighborhood, the winged insignia on the door closest to Levi the only sign that there’s anything special going on inside.

            There are even more soldiers around now, from all three branches of the military. Levi hangs back a little bit, avoiding eye contact instinctively, but nobody gives him so much as a glance. This area is far from the brothel, and Levi knows that while he’s a little shabby compared to everyone else here – the uniformed soldiers, the smartly dressed men and women who duck into the buildings on what’s surely some kind of royal business – he doesn’t look suspiciously out of place either, just a townsman come to catch a curious glimpse of the military’s workings.

            He has no idea where Erwin is, or if he’s even here at all. He has no idea how he’s going to find Erwin, or be able to talk to him with so many other people around. But he’s been up against worse odds before – he’s almost positive he has – and under more dangerous situations to boot. Levi gives his surroundings one last quick glance for anything suspicious – no sign of anything, still – takes a deep breath, and strides towards the door with the wings.

            It’s then that he finally attracts someone’s attention, a younger man in uniform standing near the entrance with a broom in his hand. A recent recruit, maybe, new and inexperienced enough to get stuck on chore duty. Levi feels himself relax a little.

            “Do you need something?” the soldier asks. His tone is nothing more than curious, no hostility in the least. Levi relaxes a little more.

            “Just heading in,” Levi gestures unnecessarily at the door a few feet away, about to walk on by, but the young soldier isn’t done.

            “What’s your business?” Again, there’s nothing dangerous in his voice, but it’s a definite question, one that can’t be brushed aside.

            “I’m meeting someone,” Levi answers, lightly but a little too hastily. It’s not a solid lie at all, not when Levi knows exactly nothing about the Survey Corps and its officers apart from Erwin. Maybe Levi really has forgotten how to do this.

            “Who?” the young man asks helpfully. Levi gets the impression that he’s jumping at the chance to do something other than cleaning. He’s a boy, really - now that Levi’s getting a good look at his face he looks no older than some of the more dubious new arrivals at Gunda’s, and maybe even a little younger. It’s somewhat jarring, even as Levi’s concentrating on the quickest way to get himself out of this conversation and into the building. He’s heard the whispers about Erwin Smith sending people’s sons and daughters off to die a hundred times, but he’d never really thought about how _young_ some of the soldiers are before now.

            “I’m…I’m interested in recruitment, actually,” he says. “I was hoping to talk to someone in charge of that.” It’s the first thing that pops into his head, but it’s also probably the best reason why a civilian with obviously no business here would be hanging around, anyway.

            “Recruitment?” The young soldier gives Levi a look that’s half-curious, half-skeptical.

            “Not me,” Levi amends. “My younger brother.”

            The young soldier frowns thoughtfully. “Not sure if they handle that here… But,” he adds before Levi can say anything else. “I can ask about it for you, if you want.”

            Levi nods, too occupied with playing out ways this could possibly go in his mind to put together any more convincing gratitude.

            The young soldier ditches his broom and turns towards the doors. Levi follows without waiting for an invitation.

            Inside, the building looks about the way Levi would have pictured it, if he had ever even imagined that he would be standing here earlier than a few hours ago. The space is neat and boring, and everyone else around Levi looks as if they’ve got some kind of urgent business that needs to be addressed immediately. This means that Levi gets a few curious looks, especially when his guide leaves him in a hallway with the promise that he’ll be back soon with someone who can advise Levi about his brother’s situation – hopefully Levi can figure out a way to avoid having to fake his way through that pointless conversation – but it’s still nothing dangerous, not yet.

            It’s a waste of time, however, and Levi’s starting to feel a little on edge again. The hallways aren’t marked, and he can’t see inside of any of the offices he’s passed so far. There’s not a single sign of Erwin either, of course.

            Levi’s about to risk wandering deeper into the building – he doesn’t have any better ideas, if he runs into trouble he can say that he was just curious to know more about where humanity’s heroes plan their next adventures, or some bullshit like that, and that’ll probably be enough – when the young soldier returns, along with another, not so young and not so happy to see Levi. He orders Levi’s helper back to his work outside, and brusquely informs Levi that his brother will have to wait until the next round of recruiting opens up like everybody else, and that it doesn’t have anything to do with the Survey Corps, anyway.

            “He’s – he’s set on this branch, though,” Levi stalls halfheartedly as he’s being ushered back towards the door. There’s no real point in trying to stay now – this approach has clearly been a mistake, and Levi will need to either give up and leave or try again and be a whole lot stealthier. “All he talks about is – “ Fuck, there’s only one person here whose name Levi can think of off the top of his head. “Erwin. Your commander, I mean. Wants to be just like him.”

            “Is that so?” the soldier asks, eyebrows raised. There’s a hint of bitter irony in his voice, slight enough to go over the head of a normal citizen, most likely, but Levi understands it.

            The soldier looks as though he’s about to continue, but another officer who’s passing them close enough to hear, a woman this time, clears her throat with professional delicacy. “The commander’s just returning now,” she mutters as she passes them.

            The soldier with Levi shuts his mouth, face a little red, but Levi’s only barely paying attention to him. His gaze is pinned further down the hallway that leads to the door, no time to consider how he looks to anybody else.

            Erwin’s close. Levi can _hear_ him now, if he listens carefully. He can’t tell what Erwin’s saying, but the low, methodically businesslike murmur that Levi can just make out around a corner at the end of the hallway can’t be anyone else. The sound vibrates through the air, buries deep into Levi’s chest.

            Somebody else is saying something, closer but much less worthy of Levi’s attention. It takes him several seconds to realize that he’s still being shooed out of the building. He manages to take a few more steps towards the door.

            A pair of men come into view, walking in the opposite direction, and even now, when Levi’s aware of Erwin’s presence with every fiber of his being, it takes half a second to recognize who he’s looking at. Erwin’s in uniform, with his hair swept back and neatly parted, but it’s more than that – something in the way he walks is different, something in the way he carries himself and the way he’s addressing his companion. This is Erwin in his prime, accustomed to having countless soldiers waiting for his orders and to the responsibility that accompanies that power. It’s someone Levi’s only gotten glimpses of before now. The fact that nobody’s recognized Erwin at the brothel so far suddenly seems a lot more like a matter of course than a lucky coincidence.

            Erwin doesn’t notice him. He’s still talking to the other man – another big hunk of a soldier, if somewhat shaggier than Erwin – with hushed urgency, too intent on the conversation to pay attention to anyone else. Levi still can’t make out much of what’s being said, but it’s obvious that it’s serious – some outcome of the recent expedition, perhaps, or maybe plans for the next one already.

            Maybe this is one of the few people Erwin had said he would entrust with Levi’s information, maybe Erwin is planning to have a version of this conversation with Levi whenever he next makes it out to the brothel. The idea gives Levi a startling twinge of jealousy.

            Everyone’s still walking. Erwin will pass Levi soon, and it seems very possible that he’ll do it without so much as looking in his direction. C _an’t_ ever _just let things be simple_ , Levi finds himself thinking in vague exasperation.

            Levi should do something, get Erwin’s attention – should he? They can’t talk here, so close to other people, including one who’s already decided that he wants him out as quickly and efficiently as possible. And now that Levi finally knows where Erwin is, he’s in a better position than ever. He could wait, pretend to leave, and then sneak back in somehow and find Erwin a second time, hopefully with a little more privacy. But then again…

            “All right,” the soldier behind him says loudly. “Move along, you’ll get plenty more chances to see him if your brother actually makes it in.”

            Levi’s suddenly extremely aware of a few different things in very quick succession: He’s let himself slow down far too much, feet dragging with each step. Now, everyone within earshot is looking in his direction, even a few people who have to glance over their shoulders to do it. They turn away again before more than a second or two can pass, mercifully uninterested.

            But Erwin’s frozen where he stands, close enough to touch. His eyes are locked with Levi’s.

 

 


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Archive warning added! It's more for the next chapter than this one, honestly, but keep it in mind if that's a concern for you. Strangulation ahoy. 
> 
> Serious thanks as always to everyone who reads this fic, you are all the best and it is so fun to share my weird ideas with you. :)

 

            It’s been a while since Levi last really felt time stop. Back in the old days, he’d experienced that feeling on only a few occasions that he can remember, brushes with death he’d avoided by the skin of his teeth. It's coming back to him now, the sensation that everything is slowing around him, the dull, gut-wrenching feeling of imminent disaster underlying it all.

            But instead of his life flashing by, all Levi can see is Erwin’s face, every twitch of his brow and everything that flickers deep within his eyes.  

            Erwin goes through more emotions than even Levi can properly identify in the space of a second or two, until, at last, he turns his attention back to the soldier who’s still stuck to Levi. The slight tightening at the corners of his mouth and the movement of his throat as he swallows aren’t details that anyone other than Levi could notice – Levi hopes that’s the case, at least.

            “What’s this?” Erwin asks. Levi hangs onto the words just as much as he’s been hanging onto every movement Erwin’s made since Levi first caught sight of him here, and it’s a much-needed relief when Erwin sounds _good_ , just the right mixture of authority and casual detachment. Erwin can, apparently, keep a straight face a little better when he’s got his clothes on. _Thank fuck_.

            “Just seeing him out. He’s in the wrong place,” Levi’s escort answers, and he doesn’t sound like he’s noticed anything at all. The soldier at Erwin’s side looks equally oblivious.

            _Tell him to get lost_. Levi isn’t stupid enough to try to give Erwin some kind of significant look, but he thinks the order with every bit of willpower he has.

            “Actually,” Erwin pauses for just long enough, exactly as if something’s only now popping into his mind. “It’s good to see you. We were actually just talking about the issue with the signal flares during the expedition…” He shoots his companion a brief glance, and gets a nod of agreement in return.

            _It’s something serious_ , Levi thinks at him, knees locked, palms a little sweaty. _Something really serious that only this asshole can handle and he needs to go do something about it right now. So does the guy with you._

            “Squad Leader Zacharias mentioned that it was your section of the formation where most of the flares were unaccounted for, I think. Can you think of any reason for that?”

            Levi could almost get down on his knee for Erwin right here in the hallway out of sheer appreciation, that’s how good this feels. Erwin’s doing _great_ , changing the topic and distracting the others effortlessly. The chances of this trip paying off are starting to look decidedly good after all.

            The others are talking, technical details that don’t mean anything to Levi, but he’s only barely paying attention anyway. It’s torture waiting for a chance to speak with Erwin alone – _that_ is _where this is all headed, isn’t it?_ – now that he’s finally come so close to his goal. He risks one impatient glance up at Erwin’s face. Erwin’s not looking at him at all, of course. His jaw looks to be set a little tighter than a discussion of the finer points of section three of the post-expedition inventory report would probably warrant under normal circumstances.

            After a few more seconds that continue to feel like some of the longest ones of Levi’s life, Erwin says the magic words. “Why don’t you two go and look over the records again together?”

            The soldier with Levi doesn’t look too excited, but it’s clear that disobeying isn’t really an option. Even Erwin’s friend is giving him an expectant look now, so helpfully that Levi feels a ridiculous rush of gratitude towards him as well. If he ever happens to see the man again in the course of his regular work, he’ll make sure he gets the absolute most for his money.

            “All right,” Levi’s escort says grudgingly. He starts to pivot back towards Levi again. “Just as soon as I-“

            “”He can take care of himself from here, I’m sure,” Erwin cuts him off cleanly.

            Once again, there’s no room left for argument. The two extra men peel off, _finally_ , and Levi and Erwin are left alone, or as close as can be when there’s still a handful of people milling around the hallway on their own business.

            Erwin turns back towards Levi at last. “What brings you here?” he asks brightly. One big hand comes up to clap Levi on the shoulder. It lingers, fingers digging into Levi’s skin. Erwin’s got a smile on his face, but there’s a hint of something a little panicky in his eyes.

            What’s Levi supposed to say now, here? He can hardly even remember what his alibi for entering the building in the first place was now. “I was…hoping to talk to someone,” he settles on at last.

            “Really?” Erwin asks pointedly. “This isn’t a good place for that.”

            _Tone it down a little_ , Levi thinks tensely. Nobody seems to be paying them much attention, though. Erwin has to deal with random people bothering him all the time, probably.

            “ _Yeah,_ but…” Shit, someone just crossing Erwin’s path by coincidence wouldn’t speak to him like that. “I’m sorry, Commander.” Levi grinds out. “It’s just, I couldn’t think of a better place.” He drops his voice a little and risks a bit more. “A safer place.”

            Erwin gets it. His eyes narrow, but he no longer looks as though he’s a few seconds away from dragging Levi outside himself. He’s still gripping Levi’s shoulder, though – it’s been going on for too long, probably, but it might look even more unusual if Levi pulls away from him on his own.

            “What should I do, Commander?” Levi asks.

            Erwin takes a long time to answer. It’s almost a relief, in some small, perverse way – even with all his resources and classified information, Erwin’s just as thrown by all this as Levi is. “Safer, you say?” Erwin repeats in a low voice, with the slight air of someone hoping that he’ll be told that he’s mistaken.

            Levi nods as emphatically as he dares.

            Seconds drag on nerve-rackingly as Erwin thinks some more – he’s let go of Levi’s shoulder, at least, and put a slightly more appropriate distance between them – until finally, a decision seems to be made. “Wait just a moment, please,” Erwin says, smile plastered back in place. Before Levi can protest, he darts through one of the doors leading off of the hall.

            Waiting around out here some more is the last thing Levi wants to do – he’s burningly aware of each occasional curious glance that’s thrown his way – but mercifully Erwin’s back before even thirty seconds pass.

            “Here,” Erwin announces, voice crisp and confident, as much for the benefit of anyone who might be looking at them as it is for Levi. “This is what you’ll want to do.”   With the same motion he’s repeated for many a night by now, Erwin presses something into Levi’s hand. It’s not money this time, but a small slip of paper.

            “Oh.” Levi’s heart is pounding. He’s not sure if it’s nerves, or a reaction to Erwin’s hand touching his, or both. “Thank you, Commander,” he manages at last. “ _Thank_ you.” That’s sure to look good - the poor townsman bowled away by his luck at getting advice from Commander Smith, of all people – and it doesn’t require very much exaggeration, not by now. He’s met Erwin, he’s gotten his message across, and Erwin even has some kind of idea about what they can do now, apparently. Things haven’t worked out this neatly for Levi in a long time, and certainly never for anything involving Erwin.

            “Thank _you_ ,” Erwin says. “For your support. Have a good day.”

            It takes a moment for Levi to realize that this isn’t just part of the casual act.   He’s still just standing there, the scrap of paper clenched in one hand, when Erwin raises his eyebrows very slightly for a single pointed second.

            “Yes,” Levi says hurriedly. “Yes. Thank you again, Commander.” The main door is just around the corner. Levi goes straight for it, body rigid with adrenaline. He wants more than anything to glance over his shoulder, back at Erwin, but that’s out of the question.

            Stepping out of the building feels like coming up from underwater, like he can breathe for the first time in the last fifteen minutes – has it really only been that long? The feeling of relief grows with every step that he takes. Nobody else pays him any attention, except for the young soldier who’d first intercepted him. The boy is back at work, and he calls out a cheerful goodbye as Levi hurries past him.

            Levi doesn't stop walking until he’s in a quiet section of the street with more blocks than he can keep track of in between him and the Survey Corps buildings, and then he finally takes a look at the paper in his hand.

            Levi can’t actually read very well – one of the less helpful outcomes of his unusual childhood – though it’s not a surprise that Erwin wouldn’t consider that possibility in the slightest. Erwin’s handwriting is none too neat either, the quick scrawl of a man with a thousand things on his mind at once. Luckily, what’s written on the paper is short and simple. Even Levi can recognize an address, and a time.

 

-

 

            The time is later that same day, and the address turns out to belong to a restaurant, of all things. It’s in a quiet part of the city that’s a decent distance from anything military, but not quite far enough for Levi’s liking. But there’s no choice but go or risk falling out of touch with Erwin, so Levi goes.

            There’s no sign of anyone, good or bad, waiting for Levi outside the building. After a few minutes of apprehensive consideration, with no clue as to what exactly he’s supposed to be doing here, Levi ventures inside.

            It’s a nice place, a step up from the taverns Levi usually eats in. The inside is like a maze, with most of the tables cordoned off behind wooden screens. All very classy, very discrete. Levi wonders if Erwin comes here often.

            It’s still not the first place that Levi would have chosen for a meeting, or whatever it is that’s in store. Levi could have probably done better, even out here in unfamiliar territory – he’s been planning private encounters for years, after all – but he can’t see any signs that he’s walking into something that’s obviously dangerous, at least. If nothing else, he’s pretty certain that this is the last kind of place Heino or any of his associates would expect to find him.

            He’s met by an employee who either has no idea whatsoever that anything significant is taking place or is much better at faking ignorance than Erwin is, and shown to one of the closed-off tables. The good part is that Levi’s less exposed than he had been earlier in the day, back at the Survey Corps building, but the bad part is that he can’t get a good view of what’s going on around him either. The table is near the back, at least. Even a fancy place like this will have a kitchen that can serve as a quick exit if the evening takes an unpleasant turn.

            The time written in Erwin’s note inches closer, arrives, and passes. Levi waits, orders some food – it’s dinner time, and he’s got money, thankfully - and waits some more.

            He’s starting to wonder if he’s made a mistake – he can’t check the note again, he’s destroyed it already in an overzealous safety measure that he’s regretting now – when the screen in front of his table slides open without warning. He’s expecting someone coming to clear his table, or to drop a tasteful hint about how long Levi’s been lingering here, but all of a sudden, he’s faced with Erwin for the second time that day. Levi almost swallows his fork.

            Erwin slides the screen closed behind him and sits down across the table from Levi in one fluid motion. “Good evening,” he says.

            “What’s going on?” Levi asks.

            Erwin raises an eyebrow. “I should be asking you the same thing. You wanted to talk to me?”

            “Here?” Levi’s gaze darts reflexively over his surroundings, for what feels like the millionth time in the last hour or so. He can hardly make out anything beyond his own table, but the air in the restaurant is still just as quiet and calm as it’s been since he arrived. _Too quiet_ , years of experience whisper in his ear.

            But this isn’t like the old days, and it’s Erwin’s decision to be here. “Fine,” Levi begins. “Listen to what happened to me last night.”

            Erwin gets the condensed version of events, but he looks just as troubled by it as Levi feels, if not more. When Levi’s finished there’s another familiar, thoughtful pause as Erwin digests the story. Levi takes a sip from his glass of fancy wine – why not make the most of being here, he had figured earlier – and waits.

            “You did well,” Erwin says at last. “Coming to look for me.”

            Levi gives him a little shrug. “It could be a one-time thing, but…”

            Erwin shakes his head. “No, you’re right. I shouldn’t visit you so often now. Maybe not until after all this is finished.”

            _Do you have an idea about how this is going to be finished?_ Levi thinks curiously, but he doesn’t say it out loud. Another part of what Erwin’s saying is interesting as well – Erwin will continue to stop by like usual after everything’s calmed down again? That’s good to know.

            But in the meantime, Erwin might not visit at all, and who knows how long it will take before everything’s resolved, or if Erwin will still remember him when that day finally comes? Levi’s going to be outside of it all now – no more secret conversations with Erwin after the normal work’s done, no more fishing for new tidbits of information to pass on.

            Until very recently, Levi would have been thrilled at the prospect of it. He can’t quite put his finger on when things changed, but now he finds that he doesn’t feel happy at all.

            “So, you won’t be around anymore?” Levi asks lightly as he spears one of the last cold chunks of potato still on his plate.

            Erwin shakes his head. “Not like before, I think. It wouldn’t be safe for either of us.”

            “But this place is safe?” Levi can’t help checking again.

            “It’s not too popular with any of the other soldiers,” Erwin explains. “And I’m guessing you aren’t likely to run into anyone you know around here either?”

            Levi shrugs, popping the potato into his mouth.

            “The owner and the staff know how to stay out of other people’s affairs, no one will think it’s too unusual that I’m here tonight, and nobody saw me come over to you just now,” Erwin lists off. “And some of my people are here too, ones that I’ve trusted with this situation.”

_That_ gets Levi’s attention. “Really?” He’s barely noticed any other customers the whole time he’s been here, let alone anyone who had really caught his eye. He tries once again to sneak a glimpse beyond his own little corner, but it’s a useless effort.

            “People I trust,” Erwin repeats. “Only a few, only to confirm that you were here and everything was safe. I’ve been as careful as I could be under the circumstances, I promise.”

            “Huh.” Levi’s not pleased that anyone’s been watching him without his knowledge, and he still doesn’t totally approve of meeting somewhere like this, but whatever. Erwin’s satisfied enough with it, and soon none of this will have much to do with Levi anyway.

            There’s another long pause. Levi’s about to ask if it’s all right to leave when Erwin clears his throat a little. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you, actually,” he admits. “Even before I saw you today.”

            “Yeah?” Levi’s instantly and overwhelmingly curious despite himself.

            “It’s important,” Erwin continues seriously. “I wish we didn’t have to discuss it like this, but there’s no other choice, especially with circumstances the way they are now. “  

            “So, what is it?”

            “You’ll be seeing our people of interest again,” Erwin ventures. “Your customer, and his new associates.”

            “Yeah, probably.” It’s not a very welcome notion, especially after last night, but Levi can deal with it. Especially if Erwin’s got something in mind. “And?”

            “Suppose they were going to have one of their meetings again,” Erwin says, voice low. “And you happened to know about it, ahead of time. Could you tell me?”

            Levi studies him. “Tell you?”

            “The time, and the place,” Erwin goes on. He looks as though he’s not completely sure how to have this conversation, miles away from the easy way he had ordered people around earlier in the day. “Even if it’s only a rumor, perhaps…though of course, solid information would be much more useful.”

            “So you can be waiting for them?” Levi guesses.

            “We’ll take whatever action seems best when the time comes.”

            Levi takes another sip of his wine. All the solemn buildup hadn’t been overkill on Erwin’s part. This is a big suggestion, a step further than what Levi’s been doing for him already. The way things are now is risky enough– the last twenty-four hours have been a more than sufficient reminder of that – but all Levi’s been doing is talking, really, just mentioning things he happens to overhear from one of his customers to another. It’s nothing particularly unusual, and if what he overhears happens to involve something big, something that might attract outside interest, it’s not Levi’s fault, not really. He can, just barely, still tell himself that much in a way that’s at least slightly convincing. Knowingly setting something up would evaporate any last bit of deniability, any last pretense that Levi’s trying to keep out of trouble.

            It would be a danger to his job, and the more-or-less comfortable lifestyle he’s worked his way up to after all these years. And if things go badly, or if Erwin decides to drop him after he’s played his part, Levi’s job is going to be the least of his worries. It would be an unwarrantedly stupid risk, and to help out a strange, reckless, rich-boy soldier, of all fucking things. Help him by turning against the kind of people Levi’s been in with all his life.

            Levi sets his glass down. “Okay,” he says. “Sure.”

            “Okay?” Erwin repeats, brow furrowing.

            “That’s what I said,” Levi says. “I’ll do it.”

            Erwin should look pleased – grateful, really, with everything that Levi’s doing for him – but all Levi can see on his face is surprise. “Levi,” he begins. “You can think about this, if you need to…”

            “No need,” Levi cuts him off.

            This might end up being the worst decision Levi’s made in his life, the top of the heap of increasingly misguided choices he’s made ever since the night Erwin first knocked on his door. He might be cursing himself later - he might be lucky if he’s still alive to regret this later.

            But right now, sitting here across from Erwin at the end of a day filled with things that would have seemed impossible even a few short months ago, he’s not regretting anything, not yet.

            “Well.” Erwin’s still catching up to him. “That’s…that’s good to hear. Very good.”

            “How are we going to do this, though?” Levi presses on. They can’t sit here forever. The night’s still early. Erwin’s got work to take care of, surely, and Levi has to get moving, has to go back and make a token appearance at the brothel and then start seeing what he can do to cross paths with Heino again. “It’s dangerous for you to come by my place, but I don’t know if me coming out here again is a great idea either…”

            “No.” _That_ notion is apparently enough to get Erwin’s attention, at least. “No, definitely not. But you work outside from time to time, don’t you? When you go to meet Heino, for example.”

            “That’s right.”

            “And if you happened to be called out one night…”

            Levi nods. “That would work.” Nobody’s going to question anything – not when it comes to Levi, who’s been a reliable presence at the brothel for years and should definitely be snatching up any extra clients that he can – and he can do his best to make sure he’s not followed. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than being an easy target waiting around in his room every night.

            “Good,” Erwin says. He’s all business now, all strategy. He talks like this with the soldier Levi had seen at his side in the hallway earlier in the day, Levi imagines. “I can make sure that you get the details quietly. We’ll meet somewhere new, and you can tell me what you know, like always.”

            “Like always,” Levi agrees.

            Erwin smiles at him, for just a moment, before growing serious again. “You’re certain about this?” he asks.  

            “Look at me,” Levi says. “Look at us. Look at what the fuck I’ve been doing all day.” He’s practically as good as ready for his own uniform, when you look at the facts, as incomprehensible as it would be to anyone who knows him. Anyone but Erwin, at least.

            The way Erwin’s looking at him shows that he gets it. He’s pleased – even a little proud, maybe, though Levi’s got enough sense to know that’s probably just wishful thinking - with a hint of something else, the deep, impenetrable expression that Levi still can’t quite read. Erwin looks like he’s about to say something, but before he can, something seems to catch his attention, something beyond the screen around their table. He slides his chair back suddenly, getting to his feet.

            “What?” Levi demands in a hushed voice.

            “It’s fine. But I should go now.”

            “Why _?”_ It’s just like Levi’s usual luck, if something’s finally going wrong _now_ , after everything that they’ve managed to pull off today. At least he’s still close to the back door.

            “Nothing’s wrong.” Erwin’s keeping his voice down too, but there’s no panic in his words or on his face. It’s enough to calm Levi down, mostly. “I’m sorry we can’t talk more. But we can’t stay like this for too long, one of my men just signaled to me –“

            “One of your men?” Levi’s about to stand up to peer around the screen himself, caution be damned, but the look Erwin shoots him keeps him in his seat.         “Wait a little longer, and then leave,” Erwin instructs. “Don’t linger, and don’t try to look around. Be careful, but we’ll make sure you aren’t being followed for as long as we can.”

            There’s no need to tell _Levi_ how to avoid trouble, and the thought of being trailed, even by someone Erwin trusts, sends an unpleasant sensation shivering down his spine. But it _is_ Erwin who’s telling him this, Erwin with whom he’s managed to accomplish so much in the past few hours alone. Levi raises his eyebrows, but leaves it at that.

            “I’ll see you soon,” Erwin promises. Then he’s gone, disappearing into the depths of the restaurant. Off to wherever his mysterious helpers are positioned, Levi thinks a little bitterly.

            He finishes his wine before he leaves. Erwin’s left money on the table for Levi’s meal, of course.

 

            -

 

            It really is easy for Levi to leave the brothel unquestioned, even during working hours. Levi takes advantage of that fact a couple of nights later, when he goes looking for Heino.

            He hasn’t heard a thing from Heino since the last time he went out to see him, hasn’t seen any trace of any of his associates since Titan Man’s visit to the brothel. It would be a relief, under normal circumstances, but now Levi’s eager to have something for Erwin whenever they meet next, eager to be _doing_ something.

            If Glasses Man and Heino are really so worried about being found out, they’d be better off meeting in different places from time to time. Levi slips easily into the midst of the noisy crowd that’s already filling the main space around the bar, and, and spots Heino after all of maybe ten minutes.

            Heino’s got a serious look on his face that doesn’t mesh with the rest of the rowdy, half-drunk patrons around him, and he’s walking back towards the area where the private rooms are with the air of a man with business on his mind. He’ll be meeting the others soon, if they haven’t dropped by already. _Excellent._

            Levi catches up with him before he has time to take another five steps. “Hey,” he says, as if this is just a happy coincidence, as if Heino’s face doesn’t fall when he sees Levi heading towards him.

            “Levi,” Heino says, with little relish. “You… What are you doing here?”

            Levi jerks his head carelessly back in the direction of the crowd. “Working. Just got here.” He gives Heino a thoughtful look up and down – overkill, a little bit, but maybe Heino will like the flattery. “What are _you_ doing tonight?”

            Heino doesn’t take the bait in the slightest. He’s looking at Levi like Levi’s come over to jump him and steal his wallet. “It’s nothing that concerns you,” he answers sharply.  

            He starts to move on. Levi keeps up with him. “Sure,” Levi allows. “Are you busy now?”

            “Levi, you shouldn’t have come here,” Heino hisses out of the corner of his mouth, staring resolutely ahead as he walks.

            “Hey.” Levi hasn't used his limited ability to sweet-talk customers in quite a while, but he gives it a shot, keeping his voice light even as Heino picks up his pace a little. “I know what you’re doing is none of my business, you told me last time. It’s _fine_. I’m just saying, if you want to-”

            “ _Levi_.” Heino’s pushes each syllable out through gritted teeth. He stops in front of a door and pushes it open, all without meeting Levi’s eyes.

            There are the usual familiar faces inside – Glasses Man, of course, and Titan Man, and the other one he’d seen with them last time too. “Oh,” Glasses Man says as the door opens, one eyebrow raised. “Him.”

            “I didn’t invite him,” Heino says glumly.

            “It’s all right,” Glasses replies. “Now’s as good a time to take care of this as any.”

            Levi hardly has a moment to think about talking his way out of this, and then Titan Man’s coming towards him. In the back of his mind, Levi’s been bracing for an attack ever since the door opened, but he freezes for half a second all the same – _where’s the best place to strike first, how did fights like this go before?_ – and it’s time he doesn’t have. Titan Man’s legs are stupidly long, and the room isn’t that big, and in only a few strides he’s on top of Levi.

            The first blow is only a haphazard fist to the side of Levi’s face – Levi’s gotten worse from belligerent customers, even – but it’s enough to slow him down for one second more. Titan Man grabs him by the collar of his shirt and drags him closer.

            A small, primal part of Levi’s mind is already screaming in alarm, despite how well he knows that that’s the way you lose, the way you die, even before Titan Man hooks his arm around Levi’s neck. Levi’s only just reaching for his knife – finally, fucking _finally_ \- when Titan Man straightens his legs, and Levi’s feet leave the ground.

            He can’t even get enough air to curse. Titan Man’s arm feels like iron around his throat, like something that his knife won’t do shit against even if he can get ahold of it – and then the arm that’s not choking Levi gropes down and knocks the knife harmlessly from his fingers, and that’s the end of _that_ idea, anyway.

            Levi kicks out, but he’s being held too high to land a good blow on the man’s shins, and not high enough to get at his crotch. He gets a brief glimpse of Heino staring unhappily up at him – Levi can’t spare the energy to be angry that all he’s doing is watching this – before his eyes are too watery and his vision is too blurry to focus on anything.

            His lungs ache. His movements have been mostly reduced to mindless thrashing by now, to desperation. Everyone’s being very quiet, or maybe Levi’s just so far gone already that the only thing that registers is his clothing rustling and the soft, skin-crawling sound of Titan Man breathing close to his ear. He sounds like he’s hardly exerting himself at all. _It’s not_ fair, Levi thinks absurdly, as his vision starts to go black.

_Come on, Levi, get up_ , a rough, long-ago voice shouts at him suddenly. _Is that all you’ve got? Don’t you remember anything I just showed you?_

_That’s not how it works,_ the same loopy part of Levi’s mind protests sluggishly. _Your life’s supposed to go_ backwards _now, not start way back when you were still a fucking kid._ He must be close to the end if he’s hearing Kenny’s voice, way back from when he was just learning how to fight, still figuring out how to compensate for the fact that he was younger and smaller and more useless than anyone he crossed paths with.

_What are you going to do, Levi?_ Kenny yells in his ear. _You’ve got to figure it out, if you want to live until you’re even fucking old enough to shave._

            Levi shudders. Everything is dark, too dark, but for now he still knows where he is, knows what’s locked around his neck. He makes his hands stop scrabbling at Titan Man’s arm, squeezes them into fists with the thumbs sticking out, and uses the last of his strength to jab upwards as hard as he can.

            It’s a clumsy effort – neither of his thumbs find Titan Man’s eyes exactly – but Titan man has to jerk his head out of the way, and as he does his grip loosens, just barely. Levi gasps, jerking one of his arms back down and then jamming it up between Titan Man’s arm and his own neck. He’s pitifully weak – when the pressure really starts again, Levi probably won’t be able to resist at all – but for now he can actually _breathe,_ and it feels like the best thing he’s experienced in his whole life.

            “ _Wait_ ,” Levi rasps. Even now he can recognize how awful his voice sounds. The world around him is starting to swim back into focus, enough that he can see that Heino, at least, looks impressed that Levi’s managed not to die yet. It’s Glasses who Levi really wants to see, but he can’t, not the way Titan Man’s standing. The room is still dead silent.

            The arm hooked around his neck suddenly loosens enough that he drops, feet slamming down onto the floor – the second best thing he’s ever experienced, he’s pretty sure. It’s obvious as soon as he touches the ground that standing upright is something that requires a little more air than what Levi’s managed to get back into his lungs so far, but before he even has enough time to fall to his knees, Titan Man’s grabbed him again.

            There’s a table taking up much of the center of the room – Levi had served Heino from underneath a table like it, a lifetime ago – and Titan Man throws him down onto it like a ragdoll, so hard that the wood creaks. He holds Levi down with one meaty hand pressed onto Levi’s neck.

            Levi’s looking up at him now, so he can see that there’s an actual emotion on Titan Man’s face for once, the faint irritation of someone trying to crush a persistent insect. It would feel like more of a triumph if Levi weren’t getting choked for the second time in less than a minute.

            “Wait,” he insists, with each shallow breath he can still muster. “Wait, wait wait-” Titan Man’s got himself positioned between Levi’s dangling legs, too close to land a good kick, and Levi’s fingers can’t find anything but his unyielding arm and hand.

            He can see Glasses out of the corner of his eye, finally, peering over at Levi with a look similar to the one on Titan Man’s face. “ – A second,” Levi rasps. “Just a second – just –” At the edge of Levi’s awareness there’s a hum that he faintly realizes must be Heino’s voice, muttering something that he can’t make out.

            “What?” It’s not Heino’s voice that finally breaks through the haze of suffocation, it’s Glasses. Some kind of signal must have been passed between him and Titan Man, because at the same time the death grip on Levi’s throat loosens enough that he can breathe again, more or less.

            “Don’t-“ Levi chokes out, before his body insists on spending the next few seconds doing nothing but painfully gulping down air. “Don’t,” he repeats, as soon as he can manage words again.

            Glasses Man watches him steadily. “Why?” he asks. Levi gets the very strong impression that he’s had this conversation plenty of times before.

            “I – “ The weight of Titan Man’s hand still ready at his throat is unbearable, but Levi has to focus, has to use this reprieve even if it’s just part of the game for these people. “I…” _I promise I won’t tell anyone about this_ isn’t even worth trying, there’s no way that Glasses is the kind of man who would take a chance like that. “I can help you,” Levi says instead.

            Glasses Man’s eyebrows go up. “Help me?”

_You weren’t expecting that_ , Levi thinks. “That’s right.” He dares to plant his arms on the table, to try and push himself up a little bit, and wonder of wonders, Titan Man lets him go.

            Levi sits up on the edge of the table, forcing his lungs steady and his head to stop spinning, forcing himself not to weigh the odds of diving for his knife. “I don’t want any trouble,” he pushes on. “I want in.”

            Glasses Man snorts, and the man still standing by his side, the one who hasn’t moved since Levi entered the room, looks equally incredulous. “ _You?_ ”

            “You don’t know who I am, do you?” Levi asks him. He’s finally in good enough shape that he can stand up and look Glasses Man straight in the eye as he says it, and he can see that there’s something wavering just slightly in the other man’s expression. “I know this city better than anyone,” Levi continues, hope strengthening each word a little more. “I know people, I know how to make anything happen down here, and I’m interested in whatever it is you’re doing. Anything he’s doing for you, I can do it just as well. Maybe better.” Levi can’t spare a glimpse in Heino’s direction now, though all he can think about is that if Heino dares open his mouth with a bunch of misinformed shit about Levi’s past _now_ , Levi’s going to make every effort to murder him.

            “You’re a whore,” Glasses Man scoffs. “A cheap whore fit for serving the trash down here.”

            Levi shakes his head. “You don’t know me,” he repeats. “You don’t know what I’ve done.   What I can do.”

            “Levi,” Heino begins helplessly.

            Levi ignores him. “Kenny the Ripper? Ever heard of him?”

            “No,” Glasses Man replies shortly. It’s probably supposed to sound dismissive, but Levi knows he’s gaining ground, little by little. Kenny’s flare for theatricality had been a perpetual pain in Levi’s ass, back in the day, but at least his stupidly dramatic alias can come in handy now.

            “Only the biggest killer in your lifetime.” It’s Levi’s turn to scoff now. “He taught me everything, and that was all before I started making a name for myself.”

            Glasses Man turns to Heino. “Is that true?”

            Heino nods, the look on his face saying that even that much is far more involvement in this conversation than he wants.

            “Never heard about any of that,” Glasses Man says. His tone is half suspicious, and half blessedly intrigued.

            “So you don’t know anything about where you’re working, that’s obvious.” Levi’s flirting with disaster, needling him like this, but if it works… “So, like I said. You need help. Someone from around here.”

            “I’ve got that already,” Glasses Man says, not terribly enthusiastically.

            “Him? _”_   _Sorry Heino, and for the love of every single brick in all three shitty walls, keep your mouth shut._ “You’re satisfied with that?”

            “Why shouldn’t I be?” Again, there’s the hint of a real question beneath the attempt at scorn.

            “Well,” Levi pauses for emphasis, punctuates it with a raised eyebrow. “For one, _I_ wouldn’t tell anyone else about our business.”

            “ _What?_ ” Heino interrupts, sounding wounded.

            “Shut up.” Glasses Man doesn’t take his eyes off Levi. “How do I know that?” he demands. “How do I know you haven’t talked to someone already?”

            Levi stares straight back at him. “Why would I do that? I told you, I want to be part of this, too.”

            Glasses Man watches him for a moment more. His eyes narrow, and then he looks away without trying to argue further. Levi can enjoy a second of relief, and then he hears the click of a gun being cocked.

            It’s not Levi that Glasses Man is aiming at, though. It’s Heino.

            “I only need one of you,” Glasses explains. “If you’re really as capable as you say, that is.”

            Heino’s face is sickly pale. He’s still not saying anything, but his wide eyes are darting from person to person, as if he can’t decide who he should be trying to appeal to.

            Levi’s mouth is dry, and his head is aching. Titan Man’s work, or just the whole fucking situation. “Well, wait,” he begins slowly. “Think about what you’re doing.”

            “I am,” Glasses assures him coolly.

            He’s not really going to kill Heino right here and now – Levi’s _pretty_ certain, at least. Shooting him will be loud and messy, impossible to pull off unnoticed even in a place like this, and surely Glasses is aware that he can’t afford any extra commotion or attention. That’s the reason why Levi’s sporting a set of thick finger-shaped bruises around his neck now. But the fact the Levi’s here in the first place is proof enough that these people don’t always plan things out perfectly, and all of this is way fucking weirder than anything Levi’s experienced in his life.

            “Really?” Should he even be trying to argue now, when he’s only tenuously succeeded in bluffing his way out of getting killed himself? This is _Heino_ , no particular friend of Levi’s and the main reason he’s in this mess at all in the first place. He hadn’t exactly been leaping to save Levi a few minutes ago, either, though Levi had understood even before this turn of events that there hadn’t really been anything that Heino could have done.

            “You’ve been working with him for how long?” Levi continues. There’s what feels like sweat beading on his forehead. “A few months, at least? And he and his people have been doing a lot for you, right? I can help you, but I can’t just… _take over,_ especially not like this.”

            “I only need one of you,” Glasses Man says again. His finger hasn’t budged from the trigger.  

            “But two would be better,” Levi urges. “His connections, and mine. We’ve even worked together before. It would be easy.” Every substantial interaction he and Heino have had in the past has involved Levi doing all the working, to put it precisely, but there’s no reason to go into that now. Even Heino’s nodding emphatically.

            “Easy,” Glasses Man repeats skeptically. For a second, it occurs to Levi that he might have made a mistake – anything suggesting that he and Heino might could form some kind of alliance is probably a very bad idea – but then, somehow, the gun’s being lowered.

            "All right,” Glasses Man says. “If that’s what you want, you’ve got it.”

            There’s an unmistakably ominous challenge in his voice, but Levi can’t dwell on it, not now when it finally looks as if nobody’s getting killed in the immediate future. “I’m in?”

            “Yes, you’re _in_.” Disdain practically drips from Glasses Man’s words. Before Levi can say anything, he adds, “Your friend can fill you in, I suppose.”

            As he speaks, he moves decisively towards the door. Whatever business he and Heino had tonight has been postponed for now, it seems. His two men follow him obediently. On his way out, Titan Man gives Levi a long, cool stare, but Levi barely registers it at all. His head still hurts, and his throat feels like hell, but for now that doesn’t matter much either.

            Heino stands beside him, watching the men leave with the air of a prisoner who’s just been sentenced to death. “What have you done?” he demands at last, voice tight and pained.

            Levi takes a deep breath, feeling the air fill his lungs. Only when he’s finished does he turn to look at Heino.

            “So,” he says. “Fill me in."  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Optional A/N for this chapter [on tumblr](http://the-naomin.tumblr.com/post/148743072689/the-reg-ch-9-notes).


End file.
